Hyderabad: 2011 World Cup winning captain of MS Dhoni has ruled himself out of the Windies tour citing personal reason and he could continue to keep himself away from all forms of cricket for some time.
The 38-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman was widely expected to bid adieu international cricket after India's semifinal exit from the just-concluded World Cup. He will now participate in the 'transitioning phase' in Indian cricket.
Also Read: New eligibility criteria for head coach and support staff of Team India
“Going forward, MS will not travel with the team within India or overseas as the first-choice keeper. Rishabh Pant will take over and there will be a grooming window till he settles down. During this time, MS will help in the transition," a source close to the development at BCCI said.
However, he also said that Dhoni is no more India's obvious choice for final XI, but he will be there to guide the team. “For all you know, Dhoni could be part of the 15 but not part of the 11. This team needs a guiding hand on multiple fronts and wishing MS away is clearly unhealthy," the source said on condition of anonymity.
People in the know of the proceeding at BCCI also feel Dhoni doesn't need to be told that he needs to hang his boots. “He’s already proved himself to be the kind of guy who preferred ‘why’ more than ‘when’ his career graph is concerned. He’ll go, but what’s the hurry?” say sources.
Also Read: Bangladesh announce squad for Sri Lanka tour
Meanwhile, people at Dhoni's IPL franchise Chennai Super Kings also ruled out the possibility of his retirement. New contracts were signed by franchises in 2018 for a three-year term, during which franchises also retained their star cricketers on a similar term.
“MS can’t just walk away like that. The Super Kings ride on him and he’s the franchise’s backbone. Not just the Indian team, he has to oversee a transition there too. After all, it’s been more than a decade-long association with them,” say those within the IPL fraternity.
