Amid speculation about his retirement from international cricket, Mahendra Singh Dhoni is reportedly going to give India’s upcoming tour of West Indies a miss.
The former captain will now allegedly move into a ‘transitioning phase’, which will see him hand over the reigns to 21-year-old Rishabh Pant, who recently earned a call-up to the Cricket World Cup as a replacement for Vijay Shankar. During this time, the senior wicketkeeper-batsman will not be travelling with the team for tours at home and abroad, according to the report in The Times of India.
The Men in Blue are scheduled to play three T20 Internationals, three ODIs and two Tests in the Caribbean, starting 3 August. And to decide the squads for this tour – India’s first since their semi-final exit from the World Cup – the national selection committee is reportedly going to meet on 19 July.
Following India's exit from the World Cup after their shocking defeat to New Zealand in the semi-finals, speculations have been rife that MS Dhoni would soon retire from the game.
In the press conference after India’s loss that saw the Dhoni score a 72-ball 50, captain Virat Kohli had said that the 38-year-old cricketer has not told him anything about his future plans.
Besides, the report also mentioned that since Dhoni still has a year pending in his three-year contract with Chennai Super Kings, he will not leave the franchise just yet.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)