India head coach Ravi Shastri has not ruled out Mahendra Singh Dhoni from featuring in the squad for the 2020 T20 World Cup to be held in Australia in November.
With India blooding fresh faces into their limited-overs set up keeping in mind next year’s tournament Down Under, speculation has been rife about former captain MS Dhoni’s international cricket future.
Indian selection committee chairman MSK Prasad has already made it clear they have moved on from Dhoni and that he doesn’t stand in the scheme of things for now. However, Shastri said Dhoni could still be a part of India’s T20 World Cup plans but he will only take a call upon the conclusion of the 2020 Indian Premier League season.
Dhoni, who take a sabbatical after the 2019 World Cup to serve as Lieutenant Colonel in the Parachute Regiment of the Territorial Army, last featured for India during their semi-final defeat to New Zealand in Manchester.
“It all depends on when he starts playing and how he is playing during the IPL,” Shastri was quoted as saying by IANS. “What are other people doing with the wicket-keeping gloves or what is the form of those players as opposed to Dhoni’s form. The IPL becomes a massive tournament because that could be the last tournament after which more or less your 15 players (for the T20 World Cup) are decided.”
Shastri made it clear that Dhoni’s form in the upcoming edition of the IPL will be a parameter that will decide his selection.
“There might be one player who might be there and thereabouts in case of an injury or whatever. But your team, I would say, would be known after the IPL. What I would say is rather than speculating who is where, wait for the IPL to get over and then you are in a position to take a call on who are the best in the country,” Shastri added.
While Dhoni himself hasn’t spoken anything in regards to his future, it is learnt that the wicketkeeper-batsman would take a decision on his retirement following the end of the IPL season.
“If at all MS will take a call on his future, it will only be after the IPL. You can’t stop speculation as he is such a big player. He is in the best shape possible fitness-wise and has been training hard for the last one month,” an official is quoted as saying on Tuesday by PTI.
The source added, “However the number of competitive games he will play before the IPL will be decided in due course.”
The Indian team management have been backing Rishabh Pant to fill Dhoni’s boots but the youngster has struggled to make the most of his opportunities after a poor string of performances. Shastri, though, said the management will back Pant to the hilt despite his inconsistency.
“You are bound to make mistakes, but as long as you sit down and think about ways to rectify those mistakes, you know that is what this game will teach you. You are not going to be a superstar in one day. You will have your ups and your downs. That is life, but the more you work harder, the more sacrifices you make, the better Pant will become,” he said.