The reason for Mahendra Singh Dhoni's unavailability for national duty is finally revealed. According to a report, which quoted a source in the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), claimed that the former captain is carrying injuries and is expected to be match-fit by November. (More Cricket News)
Dhoni's continued absence from the national set-up has prompted to everyone, including even his former team-mates to talk about the imminent retirement. And, also with the Indian camp looking for an heir to the legendary wicketkeeper-batsman, apparent or not, Dhoni's non-selection in the recent limited-overs series for West Indies and South Africa series has only added fuel to the rumours.
Also Read: Dhoni Makes Himself Unavailable Again
Dhoni went to the ICC World Cup 2019 carrying a back niggle, which got aggravated during the course of the tournament in England. Also, during the World Cup, he picked up a wrist injury. And as this report claimed, Dhoni is still available and will turn up in India colours in the near future.
Dhoni has been enduring a bad back for some time. After making an unbeaten 79 against Kings XI Punjab in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2018, the Chennai Super Kings skipper had said that the situation was "bad. How bad it is, I don't know."
Then, earlier this year, Dhoni talked about his back, saying "The back is holding up, it's not getting worse, with the World Cup coming up, can't afford that, because that's too important."
The World Cup outing might not be the straw that broke the camel's back, but it sure made Dhoni's future look uncertain.
However, national chief selector MSK Prasad recently allayed that fear by ruling out Dhon's immediate retirement. In fact, captain Virat Kohli went to the length of saying there is an "alignment" between his predecessor and the team.
"One great thing about him is that, he thinks for Indian cricket. And whatever we (team management) think, he is on the same page. The alignment is there. The kind of mindset he has had about grooming youngsters and giving them opportunities, and he is still the same person," Kohli had said before the first T20I against South Africa.
