Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s long-time friend and business partner Arun Pandey on Friday said that the former India captain has no immediate plans to retire despite the intense speculation surrounding his future, PTI reported.
Those speculations intensified ever since India lost their big-ticket World Cup semi-final against New Zealand earlier this month.
“He has no immediate plans to retire. The constant speculation over the future of a great player like him is unfortunate,” Pandey said.
Pandey’s comments came ahead of Sunday’s team selection for the upcoming West Indies tour. The picture on Dhoni’s plans will be clearer once the squad is picked for the tour beginning August 3. The Board of Control for Cricket in India officials are expected to speak to the World Cup winning captain.
Pandey has been associated with Dhoni for a long time and also handles Rhiti Sports, a sports management company. With the selectors looking at the future following the World Cup, the 38-year-old may not be an automatic pick in the team.
There is plenty of talk Dhoni’s retirement with some questioning his waning abilities as a batsman. Dhoni has captained India to titles in all major ICC events – World Cup, World T20 and Champions Trophy.
His last international innings of 50 ended in heartbreak for the entire nation as he was run out with a brilliant direct-hit from the deep by New Zealand opener Martin Guptill, effectively ending India’s hopes in the knock-out game.
Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja had brought back India into the game with a 116-run stand after they were reeling at 24/4 chasing 240.