New Delhi: Mahendra Singh Dhoni has hit the nets in his hometown Ranchi but it is unlikely that the talismanic former captain will make himself available for the upcoming limited-overs home series against the West Indies next month.
Dhoni, who has not played a competitive game since the World Cup semifinal against New Zealand in July, had a net session at the JSCA Stadium in Ranchi on Thursday, raising hopes of a comeback.
-
MS Dhoni spotted training at JSCA after a long break.😍 And we can hardly wait to see him back! #MSDhoni #Dhoni #DhoniWeMissYouOnField pic.twitter.com/urlQUA0j6C
— salman khan / ms dhoni (@MsDhoni34810725) November 15, 2019 " class="align-text-top noRightClick twitterSection" data="
">MS Dhoni spotted training at JSCA after a long break.😍 And we can hardly wait to see him back! #MSDhoni #Dhoni #DhoniWeMissYouOnField pic.twitter.com/urlQUA0j6C
— salman khan / ms dhoni (@MsDhoni34810725) November 15, 2019MS Dhoni spotted training at JSCA after a long break.😍 And we can hardly wait to see him back! #MSDhoni #Dhoni #DhoniWeMissYouOnField pic.twitter.com/urlQUA0j6C
— salman khan / ms dhoni (@MsDhoni34810725) November 15, 2019
However, he remains unavailable for the three T20s and as many ODIs against the West Indies starting December 6 in Mumbai.
"He is not available for the West Indies series," a BCCI official told PTI on Friday.
Ever since that World Cup semifinal loss to New Zealand, Dhoni's future has been a subject of intense speculation but the player himself has not spoken a word on it.
The Indian team, as mentioned by chief selector MSK Prasad, seems to have moved on with Rishabh Pant becoming the number one choice in the shorter formats.
"Post World Cup, I made it clear we are moving on (from Dhoni), we are giving opportunities to the youngsters so that they establish themselves. Samson is being looked at as the back-up wicket-keeper. Samson was inconsistent when he was drafted in India's squad last time, but he has had a good year and that is why we thought of drafting him in the squad," chief selector MSK Prasad had said when asked about Dhoni's future at the time the squad for the recently concluded T20I series against Bangladesh was announced.
Apart from Pant, Sanju Samson has also been knocking at the doors with some big scores in the domestic limited-overs circuit.
Dhoni himself has avoided commenting on his future with the Indian team but the video of him at the nets in Ranchi has gone viral with many fans backing the former Indian captain to make a comeback.
