Head coach of the Indian men’s cricket team Ravi Shastri hinted on the future plans of two time World Cup winning captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
The wicket-keeper batsman last appeared in an international fixture against New Zealand during the semi-final of ICC’s World Cup 2019 and has been on a sabbatical ever since. Fans from across the country and beyond have been eagerly waiting on the news of his return to the field.
Dhoni had already concluded his Test career in 2014 and it is expected that he may end his ODI career soon as well.
“I have had a conversation with MS and that is between us. He has finished his Test career, he may soon end his ODI career… In all probability, he will finish One-Day cricket,” Shastri told CNN News18.
Speaking on Dhoni’s T20 cricket future, he added, “At his age, probably the only format he’ll want to play is T20 cricket which means he’ll have to start playing again, get back into the groove because he’s going to play in the IPL and see how his body reacts.”
Although, Shastri indicated that Dhoni is a player who never imposes himself on the team. Form and experience will be taken into consideration during the team selection for the shorter format.
“We will have to consider the person’s experience and form. They will bat in the number 5-6 position. If Dhoni plays well in the IPL then he does put himself in contention.”
In his career, Dhoni has achieved many milestones and his biggest achievement was to lead his team to triumph in ICC World Cup 2011. Dhoni has played 90 Tests, 350 One-Day Internationals and 98 T20 Internationals.