If the chairman of selectors' words are anything to go by, we might have seen the last of former Indian captain MS Dhoni, especially his future as a wicket-keeper is concerned. Dhoni did not find a place in the T20I squad - he's already retired from Tests - and while Prasad made it clear that they were looking at Rishabh Pant only.
"I made it very clear post the World Cup that we are moving on. We are giving opportunities to youngsters and see that they establish themselves in the side. With Rishabh Pant doing so well and even Sanju Samson coming into the side [as back-up wicketkeeper], I am sure you must be understanding our thought process," Prasad said.
Dhoni kept in the loop about his future
He also said that Dhoni had been kept in the loop about his future and that the former India captain "also endorses our view of backing youngsters". Prasad was further asked about whether or not Dhoni could make a comeback if he starts taking part in the domestic circuit, he said, in no conclusive terms, "That is purely his personal call," Prasad said.
"Going into domestic cricket, getting his touch back, or thoughts about retirement, everything is purely his personal [decision]. We've already laid the roadmap for the future, I'm sure you can see in the way we are selecting the teams." These statements come on the back of the statement made by new BCCI president Sourav Ganguly who said that he would speak with Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni over the future course of action. He also pointed out that "champions" like Dhoni "do not finish very quickly".
The selectors have also picked Sanju Samson for the Bangladesh T20I series and well, this could be to give a message out to Rishabh Pant, who has come under fire for playing too many reckless strokes.
"He tries to repeat it a couple of times and gets out, he will be told," Shastri said. "There will be a rap on the knuckles there - talent or no talent - because you are letting the team down, forget letting yourself down. You are letting the team down in a situation where you have the captain at the other end. You have a target to chase where the need of the hour is some sensible cricket," head coach Ravi Shastri said during the West Indies tour.
