Will MS Dhoni play in T20I series vs South Africa next month?

Dhoni play in T20I series vs South Africa: The legendary wicket-keeper batsman had last played a T20I against Australia in February.

Former India captain and current wicket-keeper batsman Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who had missed the recently concluded India’s tour of West Indies due to his training for the parachute regiment of the Indian Army in Kashmir valley, has given no signs of his future plans.

Given the status of the 38-year old cricketer in the country, there has been a continuous debate regarding his retirement. Most recently, former India captain Sourav Ganguly opened up on the right time for Dhoni to retire from international cricket.

Till the time Dhoni doesn’t retire, there will always be speculations regarding whether he will play for India in the upcoming series or not.

Will MS Dhoni play in T20I series vs South Africa?

India’s next T20I series will be against South Africa at home. Both the teams will play three T20I before clashing in a three-Test series which will be part of the inaugural ICC World Test Championship.

If a recent set of reports are to be believed, Dhoni is all set to miss the T20I series against the Proteas. It is being said that the selectors are looking forward to the ICC T20 World Cup 2020 and don’t seem to be including Dhoni in the scheme of things for the tournament.

In a bid to put their best foot forward in the T20 World Cup, the selectors want to give more chances to rookie wicket-keeper batsman Rishabh Pant – as had been the case during India’s tour of Australia last year. It is also reported that the selectors might also give a chance to Kerala and Rajasthan Royals’ Sanju Samson and Jharkhand and Mumbai Indians’ Ishan Kishan.

“There are only 22 T20 Internationals before India play their first World T20 game and selectors are clear in their vision that it’s time to move forward. They are planning on getting a pool of three keepers ready for limited overs, especially T20Is,” a source close to the BCCI was quoted as saying.

About the author

Dixit Bhargav

Born and brought up in Pathankot, Dixit Bhargav is an engineering and sports management graduate who works as a Cricket Editor at The SportsRush. Having written more than 10,000 articles across more than five years at TSR, his first cricketing memory dates back to 2002 when former India captain Sourav Ganguly had waved his jersey at the historic Lord’s balcony. What followed for an 8-year-old was an instant adulation for both Ganguly and the sport. The optimist in him is waiting for the day when Punjab Kings will win their maiden Indian Premier League title. When not watching cricket, he is mostly found in a cinema hall watching a Punjabi movie.

Read More