MS Dhoni did not find a place in India's T20I squad which was announced to take on South Africa and this started a slew of questions regarding the place and position of India's most successful captain in this team as well as what the future holds for him as far as his cricketing career was concerned.
However, as per a report by news agency IANS, Dhoni has spoken to the selectors and has given them time to build a side keeping an eye on the 2020 World T20. Also, he will take a call on his future once a younger option comes into the side and starts performing.
'No question of ignoring him'
"There is no question of ignoring him. On the contrary, he has given us time to go ahead and plan the future keeping an eye on the World T20 next year. He realises that the team comes before public opinion and considering the fact that we still don't have a genuine replacement if Rishabh Pant gets injured in the shorter format, Dhoni has agreed to hold on.
"At present, there is no question of ignoring him. Also, just prior to the West Indies tour, he took a two-month sabbatical. I am sure we are all good with our maths," the selector was quoted by IANS.
The anonymous selector also said that they have not had a talk with Dhoni after the 2019 World Cup and that they are looking at different options. However, he did concede that barring Rishabh Pant, as things stand right now, life after Dhoni is not too certain.
"We are yet to sit down with him and talk about the roadmap ahead and that is why he has given us some time to chalk out our plans and look at the options that we have at our disposal. Life beyond Dhoni isn't something that looks too bright if Pant is injured for some reason or has to miss the World T20," he further added.
The selector in question seems to be convinced about the worth of MS Dhoni the batsman and he says that even the Indian team understands the worth of the man and the quality he brings to the table. Hence, they are not ruling out the possibility of Dhoni being included in the side as a batsman.
"Anybody who has played even one game on the international stage knows the weight of those boots. If we did have finishers, wouldn't we get Dhoni to bat at the top and give him the leeway to get into the groove? But even during the World Cup, we knew that his experience was needed if the tail had to be guided and even though critics have questioned the decision to hold Dhoni back in the semi-final, did you see what he almost achieved,?" the selector asked.
