Former Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni will reportedly be the second-choice wicketkeeper for Team India and will help Rishabh Pant settle down in the role of the first-choice wicket-keeper. Moreover, the 38-year-old wicket-keeper batsman will not travel to the West Indies for the upcoming tour.
The World Cup-winning captain will not retire immediately but he has made himself unavailable for the West Indies tour. According to TOI, Dhoni will help Rishabh Pant settle down as the first-choice wicket-keeper and be a part of the grooming phase of the youngster.
"MS will not go to the West Indies. Going forward, he will not travel with the team within India or overseas as the first-choice wicketkeeper. Rishabh Pant will take over and there will be a grooming window for him until he settles down. During this time, MS will help in the transition. For all you know, he 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 sources told TOI.
"He's already proved himself to be the kind of guy who preferred 'why' more than 'when' where his career graph is concerned. He'll go, but what's the hurry?" the sources further added.
The other option for the wicket-keeper position in the hands of the selection committee is Dinesh Karthik who probably won't gain any confidence of the selectors after his dismal performance in the recently concluded World Cup. So Pant is likely to be the first-choice wicket-keeper from the West Indies tour onwards.
Throughout the World Cup, Dhoni was criticised by many fans and former cricketers for scoring at a slow rate in most of the matches. The World Cup-winning captain could not perform up to expectations as a finisher and it looked like age has taken a toll on him. So, it won't be a major surprise if Dhoni stays as the second wicket-keeper for the Men in Blue.
