Veteran India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh feels that former captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni is unlikely to play for India again even if he has a good season for Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League.
Dhoni, who was in Board of Control for Cricket in India’s category A last season, has been on a self-imposed sabbatical since India’s World Cup semi-final loss against New Zealand in July last year. On Thursday, he was left out of the Central Contracts list altogether.
“I don’t think he [Dhoni] is going to play for India again as he had decided that he will play [only] till the [2019] World Cup. He must be preparing for the IPL,” Harbhajan was quoted as saying by PTI.
Head coach Ravi Shastri had hinted that clarity on Dhoni’s future will only be available after IPL where the former skipper is known to give more than hundred per cent.
Asked what are the chances of Dhoni making it to India’s World T20 team on the basis of a good IPL, Harbhajan said: “I am fully confident that Dhoni will have a great IPL for CSK. But having said that I don’t think he will play for India even if he has a great IPL. What if Rishabh has a great IPL? Would you drop him [Pant] from the playing XI,” said Harbhajan.
