The mystery over the future of Mahendra Singh Dhoni in international cricket has become even more complicated. Most people thought that his performance in the Indian Premier League 2020 would give a clear indication of whether he would appear in India colours again or not. But with the league under the cloud of Corona Virus, we are back to square one.
As the speculations continue over the former Indian captain's future, one very prominent voice of Indian cricket has predicted that the veteran wicketkeeper-batsman won't be part of the Indian team in the World T20 set to take place later this year. Legendary former Indian batsman Sunil Gavaskar made this statement to a newspaper.
"I would definitely like to see Dhoni in India's World Cup squad but it's highly unlikely that it is going to happen. The team has moved on. Dhoni is not someone to make big announcements so I reckon he would silently retire from the game," Gavaskar told Dainik Jagran.
Till some time ago, many former cricketers, including Sunil Gavaskar, had voiced the opinion that it would Dhoni's returns for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in IPL 2020 that would decide whether he comes back to the Indian team for the World T20 or not. However, the annual T20 event has already been postponed and with the threat of COVID-19 not retreating, is expected to be pushed further down the road, if not cancelled altogether.
This means that MSD won't have the opportunity to get back into the groove at a serious level of cricket. Let's not forget that Dhoni hasn't featured in any type of cricket event since India's semi-final loss against New Zealand in the 2019 Cricket World Cup, not even domestic cricket.
One possible reason the 2011 World Cup-winning Indian skipper hasn't announced his retirement is that he, and his team, are unsure whether they can find a suitable replacement for the legendary cricketer in time for the big event later this year. However, in recent times, KL Rahul has stepped up and has done a good job as India's wicketkeeper-batsman in shorter formats.
With Rahul's batting being dependable and his keeping looking good, India may have found a decent replacement for Dhoni. It is also quite possible that while the latter has remained away from the media since the World Cup, he is in touch with the Indian team management and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
The chief of BCCI Sourav Ganguly hinted at such a communication some months ago. Hopefully, all those in the loop will let the fans and the media know what the future of MSD is with the Indian team. To keep the fans guessing isn't necessarily a good thing.
