This story is from July 12, 2019

MS Dhoni unlikely for West Indies tour amid retirement speculation?

Ever since India's defeat to NZ in the semi-final, speculation has been rife that it might have been MS Dhoni's last appearance for India in ODIs. But only Dhoni knows the answer to that. The national selection committee will meet on July 17 or 18 to pick the squad for a tour to the Caribbean, and those in the know say “Dhoni will not go to the West Indies”.
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MS Dhoni walking back after getting run out in the World Cup semi-final against New Zealand (AP Photo)
Key Highlights
  • India will tour West Indies in July-August this year
  • Besides two Tests, India will play three T20Is and three ODIs in the Caribbean
  • Speculation has been rife that the WC semi-final might have been Dhoni's last appearance for India
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.
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The 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”.
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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.
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