Mahendra Singh Dhoni may “soon end his ODI career”, head coach Ravi Shastri has revealed.”I have had a conversation with MS and that is between us. He has finished his Test career, he may soon end his ODI career… In all probability, he will finish one-day cricket,” Shastri said.
“People must respect that he’s played non-stop in all formats of the game for a while.
“At his age, probably the only format he’ll want to play is T20 cricket which means he’ll have to start playing again, get back into the groove because he’s going to play in the IPL and see how his body reacts.”
The coach reiterated that the 38-year-old veteran could still be a contender for the T20 World Cup if he does well in the upcoming IPL.
“… So he will be left with T20, he will definitely play the IPL. One thing I know about Dhoni is that he will not impose himself on the team. But if he has a cracking IPL, well, then…”
Dhoni’s last outing in India colours was during the World Cup semi-final against New Zealand in July 2019 where he was run out following a half-century.
Shastri said form and experience will be taken into consideration while picking the team for the shortest format’s biggest event. He feels all three keeping options – Dhoni, Rishabh Pant and Sanju Samson – possess the “explosive power” necessary to marshal the lower order.
“They will all bat around (No.) 5, 6… you will need power at the back, explosive power. All the three names you took, they all have that explosive power. (So) you will have to see consistency, experience, conditions – all that will come into play when the selectors look at it.”
“Good IPL, then he (Dhoni) puts himself into contention. Then it is the selectors’ job to see what they want to do, but if he has a great IPL then he puts himself into contention.”
In November last year Dhoni, when asked about his sabbatical, had said: “January tak mat poocho (don’t ask me till January).”
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