Twitter Erupts As India Drop MS Dhoni For Windies and Australia T20Is

MS Dhoni was surprisingly omitted from India’s squad for the upcoming T20I series against Windies and Australia.

Team India selectors, on Friday, announced the squad for the T20I series against Windies and Australia. And it is safe to say that the MSK Prasad-led panel sprung quite a few surprises. And probably the biggest of them was all was the axing of veteran wicketkeeper-batsman MS Dhoni.

The unexpected decision comes at a time when Dhoni is struggling with the bat.  Dhoni’s recent form in T20s has been underwhelming. And with the next World T20 still a couple of years away, it is clear that the selectors are looking at options beyond the 37-year old.

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Dhoni has been facing criticism since the home T20I series against New Zealand last year. Some handy outings in the South Africa series including his first T20I fifty after playing over a decade helped him ease the burden off himself. It was followed by a stunning outing in the Indian Premier League. He led from the front, as Chennai Super Kings won the title for the third time. The 37-year old enjoyed a stunning season with the bat, amassing 455 runs in 16 games.

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But he has struggled with the bat since then.  He had a forgettable tour of England. He also failed to do well in the Asia Cup.

And the recent snub clearly means the selectors are looking at other options. Rishabh Pant and Dinesh Karthik have been picked as the specialist keepers for the two series. Pant has been in impressive form since slamming a 32-ball ton in the Syed Mushtaq Trophy. Since then, he finished the IPL as the second highest run-scorer, scored a century in Tests in England, scored 92 twice against Windies and made his ODI debut. On the other hand, Karthik is also one of the most-sought after keepers in the country.

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He has performed well in the opportunities he has been granted in the shortest format of the game, including a last-ball six that won India the Nidahas Trophy earlier this year.

Meanwhile, the fans and experts were quick to react to the news of Dhoni getting dropped from the T20I squads. Here are some of the reactions:

https://twitter.com/MiROfficial10/status/1055877481591390209

https://twitter.com/SijuMoothedath/status/1056024480915456001

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