Breaking News:- India vs South Africa T20 series MS Dhoni might not be a part of series.
It appears that MS Dhoni, one of the finest all-time greats from India may not be a part of the set-up in the forthcoming series against South Africa.
South Africa, under a new team structure and new management, are all set to travel to India in mid-September to participate in a 3-match T20 series, followed by as many Tests.
MS Dhoni’s imminent future
While the team is all set to be picked not before September 4, it appears that MS Dhoni’s chances of featuring in the Indian squad for the 3 T20s are slim.
And if so then this could be one of the first instances where the team puts its foot forward in the international arena minus a key figure that helped shape in the past decades.
For the longest time has one suspected MS Dhoni’s imminent cricketing future with Team India owing to a somewhat lackadaisical form, first experienced in an ODI tour to England in 2018, and then, an average World Cup 2019 series outing that the famous batsman-keeper, one with an experience of 350 ODIs and 98 T20s, endured.
But the fact that Dhoni cut himself off Test cricket solely to focus on shorter formats did breathe fresh life in a career convalescing with injury, lack of runs and one suspected, aging reflexes.
Now, at 38, MS Dhoni is certainly not getting any younger.
If it so happens that Dhoni is indeed selected to play South Africa, then one may not be wrong to expect something special from the Jharkhand-star, considering that he would, in due time, notching up his 100th T20.
But that selection, at a time when Pant seems ready and already somewhat settled in the scheme of things, might concern itself with a stroke of luck.
Surely the die-hard fan- who’s grown up enjoying the long locks, mighty heaves, and exceptional fielding from a truly charismatic cricketer- may find it hard to stomach a squad sans the famous initials that read MSD but teams are picked minus emotions and purely on merit.
To that regard, Dhoni’s presence in the team, howsoever critical and of precious value may be questionable owing to recent past form with the bat.
It’s not that Dhoni’s bat has been considerably dry of any runs whatsoever. It’s the painstaking time in which he scores those that must concern the selectors when they’ll make the critical decision of whether to play the experienced legend of the game or not.
Furthermore, it is believed that the same squad that blanked the West Indies, making light work of the two-time World T20 champions may be retained.
Fundamentally speaking, that very team construct offers a fine balance in the respective strengths in all departments of the game with the presence of able youngsters in Kuldeep Yadav, Khaleel Ahmed and newcomer Navdeep Saini, who made such an impression at the T20 at Florida.
Also, one’s got to factor in Rishabh Pant, who one believes the selectors are keen to give maximum chances to, in lines with the next T20 World Cup.
The team’s young make-up and forward-looking approach also seem to point to the grey area surrounding MS Dhoni who’s clearly on the wrong side of age. For now, all eyes shall be fixed on September 4’s squad announcement.