India’s selectors face questions over life after Dhoni

This news has been read 8079 times!

MS Dhoni

England’s Anderson hopes to face Ireland in Ashes warm-up

MUMBAI, July 20, (RTRS): Mahendra Singh Dhoni has opted out of India’s tour of West Indies as the selectors embark on their search for his successor once the long-serving wicketkeeper-batsman hangs up his boots for good.

Dhoni is an honorary lieutenant colonel in India’s territorial army and has pulled out of the tour to serve his regiment, according to a Press Trust of India report carried by local media.

“Dhoni has made himself unavailable for the tour of West Indies as he will be spending two months with his paramilitary regiment,” the report quoted an unidentified Indian cricket board (BCCI) source as saying.

Finding a replacement for Dhoni will top the agenda when India’s selectors meet in Mumbai on Sunday to pick the squad for the tour of West Indies.

Dhoni, who turned 38 this month during the Cricket World Cup, enjoys cult status in the cricket-mad country after he captained the side to the World Twenty20 title in 2007 and their second 50-over World Cup title in 2011 at home.

The veteran of 350 one-dayers, however, has been the subject of intense speculation on his retirement from international cricket over the past few days since India’s semifinal exit from the World Cup.

Dhoni, who quit playing Tests at the end of 2014, has not provided even a hint of what his plans are but he enjoys unwavering support from India captain Virat Kohli who has publicly backed him on numerous occasions.

“He is not retiring from cricket right now. He is taking a two month sabbatical to serve his paramilitary regiment which he had committed much earlier,” the BCCI official said.

Widely considered as the best ‘finisher’ in contemporary cricket, Dhoni has recently struggled to start his innings while his ability to put bowlers to the sword at the end has also been on the wane.

Dhoni’s glovework, however, still remains top class and questions have been raised by former cricketers, pundits and local media if it was the right time for him to step away and help India groom his successor.

The next 50-over World Cup is still four years away but the World Twenty20 will be held in 2020, leaving chief selector M.S.K. Prasad and his colleagues to plan for the tournament in Australia.

India will play three T20s, three ODIs and two Tests in the Caribbean and the tour will provide the opportunity for the selectors to also test the fringe players while resting some who play all three formats for the team.

The team have also failed to nail down the number four batting position in the limited overs sides, something that hurt them during the World Cup, and a new set of batsmen are expected to audition for the spot.

All-rounder Vijay Shankar, who was initially given the nod, left the World Cup through injury while K.L. Rahul had to move up to open the innings when Shikhar Dhawan was ruled out with a fractured thumb.

 India’s Test wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant, the favourite to fill in Dhoni’s shoes in the limited overs formats, slotted into the role during the latter stages of the World Cup, while Manish Pandey, Shreyas Iyer and Shubman Gill are also in the mix.

Meanwhile, England paceman James Anderson is recovering well from a calf muscle tear and could be fit for the one-off Test match against Ireland starting on Wednesday, failing which the 36-year-old will target next month’s Ashes series against Australia.

England’s leading wicket-taker was named in their squad for the four-day contest at Lord’s – their first against Ireland – despite picking up the injury in a County Championship match earlier this month.

“We meet on Monday and at the moment I feel good,” Anderson, who has 575 wickets from 148 Tests, told the BBC.

“I will keep bowling and we will monitor it. If it comes to Wednesday and I’m fit to play then great, but if not I will work towards being fit for the Ashes.”

The first Ashes Test begins at Edgbaston on Aug 1, with Joe Root’s side looking to regain the coveted urn on home soil after losing 4-0 away in 2017-18.

They head into the five-match series on the back of their maiden 50-overs World Cup triumph last week but Anderson said they had to put celebrations on the backburner and completely focus on red-ball cricket.

“We realise the dangers that the Australian team bring to test cricket, so we’re going to have to be fully focused on that,” Anderson added.

“We can’t afford to hang on to the World Cup win. It’s our job as English cricketers to try and carry that momentum on and hopefully an Ashes win will do that.”

This news has been read 8079 times!

Related Articles

Back to top button

Advt Blocker Detected

Kindly disable the Ad blocker

Verified by MonsterInsights