MS Dhoni Will Be In Contention If He Does Well In IPL, Says Ravi Shastri

If there is one thing that is not at all clear in Indian cricket at the moment then it has to be the future of MS Dhoni. The former India skipper has not played a competitive game since the end of the World Cup in July. MSK Prasad, ex-chief of the selection panel, then made a huge statement by saying that the selectors are moving on from MS Dhoni and thus did not picked him in the team after the World Cup.

MS Dhoni, on the other hand, told the journalists not to ask him about his future until January. Thus there is absolutely no denying that barring Dhoni and the team-management, not many know what the future holds for the wicketkeeper-batsman. But one thing is clear at the moment that the 38-year old is unlikely to get a recall any time soon.

In his absence, India have been backing young Rishabh Pant who has failed to live up to the expectations so far. While Pant has done well in Tests so far, his performance in ODIs and T20Is have left a lot to be desired. But the highly-rated wicketkeeper-batsman is likely to get an extended rope from the team-management.

Ravi Shastri on MS Dhoni:

As the cricketing world speculate on MS Dhoni’s future, India head coach Ravi Shastri has made it clear that the cricketer would not play for India at least before the IPL. Shastri said that MS Dhoni will be back in contention if the World Cup-winning captain decides he is good enough to play for India after next year’s IPL.

“That guy is a legend. The last thing he will want is to impose himself on an Indian team, having known him. He is wanting to take a break but he is going to play the IPL. The amount of sport he has played… if he puts himself in contention… if he feels after the IPL that ‘I am good enough to play for India’, don’t mess around with that,” Ravi Shastri told India Today.

Dhoni will definitely have his eyes set on next year’s T20 World Cup in Australia. A good performance with Chennai Super Kings could very well see him earn a recall from India’s T20I team for the marquee event.

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