MUMBAI: Will
MS Dhoni continue to be part of Team India’s white-ball plans or hang up his boots? The answer to that question lies with Dhoni alone, and as the Indian team prepares to take the long flight back home from London, cricket administrators are waiting to hear from the cricketer himself.
ALSO READ: Dhoni has said nothing about retirement, says KohliThe national selection committee will meet on July 17 or 18 in Mumbai to pick the squads for three T20 Internationals, three ODIs and two Tests in the Caribbean, and those in the know say “Dhoni will not go to the West Indies”.
There’s no further word on the World Cup-winning captain’s future, except that Dinesh Karthik and Rishabh Pant, the other two full-time wicketkeepers who were part of the World Cup campaign, will be on the tour. TOI understands that several marquee cricketers, including possibly Virat Kohli, will take a much-needed break from the shorter formats and re-join the team during the Tests in Antigua and Jamaica towards the end of August. Rohit Sharma will lead India in the ODIs and T20Is.
“More players could be rested. Bumrah, Pandya, Bhuvi, Shami – they’ve been playing non-stop cricket. A call can be taken in the coming week,” said sources. For the time being though, the focus is on Dhoni. Will it be a tweet or a statement or a tete-a-tete with the media – one that he doesn’t really prefer – that will signal the cricketer’s retirement? Or will he continue till India’s World T20 campaign in Australia next year?
“The campaign has just ended. Not even 24 hours have passed. Let’s wait for the team to get back. Last evening hasn’t been easy on them at all. The board will wait to hear from Dhoni,” sources said.