No Dhoni, no surprise, Pant lone keeper in T20 squad
Dhoni determined to take a two-month sabbatical after the World Cup and even though the three T20 internationals in September fell into his recluse period, The Indian Express has learnt that the veteran ‘keeper-batsman wasn’t even considered.
MS Dhoni’s worldwide return appeared surprisingly not going after he used to be left out of the 15-member India T20 squad for the upcoming three-match collection towards South Africa. The MSK Prasad-led determination committee announced the squad on Thursday, with Rishabh Pant as the sole specialist ‘keeper in the side. According to a BCCI insider, the existing choice committee has decided to seem beyond the former India captain.
Dhoni determined to take a two-month sabbatical after the World Cup and though the three T20 internationals in September fell into his recluse period, The Indian Express has learnt that the veteran ‘keeper-batsman wasn’t even considered.
“Ahead of the West Indies tour, the resolution committee determined supply suitable possibilities to Pant. Actually, the current selection committee is only searching at Pant, as he is being groomed,” sources instructed this paper.
Before the West Indies tour, Dhoni had an casual dialogue with chief selector Prasad during which the former had left his cricket future at the hands of the resolution committee. Prasad, on the other hand, had laid out Indian cricket’s future roadmap. As the Indian crew went to West Indies, Dhoni, an honorary Lt Col of the Territorial Army, patrolled the Kashmir valley as section of his coaching with the with the 106 TA Battalion (Para).
In three T20 internationals at some stage in the ongoing Caribbean tour, Pant scored 69 runs together with an unbeaten 65 He had an average ODI collection though, with just 20 runs in two innings. But the 21-year-old has become India’s first-choice ‘keeper-batsman across codecs and as the BCCI insider put it, his grooming manner will continue. “Let’s see how it goes.”
And even if the Pant scan fails, there’s no guarantee that Dhoni will be delivered back to the fold. “There are different wicketkeepers also. The Indian cricket is surely searching beyond MS Dhoni at the moment,” sources said.
The next 50-over World Cup will be played in 2023 and given that Dhoni is 38 years old, it’s very not going that he will closing till then as a top-flight cricketer. Back-to-back World T20s, however, are lined up in 2020 and 2021 in Australia and India respectively. A Chennai Super Kings reputable spoke confidently about Dhoni’s availability for the subsequent year’s IPL, but given that he has a thinking of his own, it would be interesting to see the ex-skipper’s future route of action. He shocked everyone with the suddenness of his Test retirement in December 2014. A little over two years hence, he additionally relinquished his white-ball captaincy.
A new resolution committee will come after the BCCI elections, scheduled on October 22. Also, Dhoni hasn’t referred to as time on his limited-overs international profession yet. He has lost his attacking mojo, however coming at No. 7, with India reeling on 92/6 in the World Cup semifinal in opposition to New Zealand at Old Trafford, Dhoni’s partnership with Ravindra Jadeja stored the group in the game until the penultimate over.
Bands of brothers
Probably for the first time in Indian cricket, two units of brothers will be in the equal India squad, as Hardik Pandya and Krunal, and Deepak Chahar and Rahul (they are cousins) have been picked for the domestic T20 series. Deepak and Rahul had been in the T20 squad in opposition to West Indies. Hardik, meanwhile, changed Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
The three T20 internationals in opposition to South Africa will be played in Dharamsala, Mohali and Bangalore on September 15, 18 and 22 respectively.
