MS Dhoni unavailable till November: Reports claimed

Bengaluru: Former India captain MS Dhoni, who was on a break from cricket to serve in the Paramilitary after India’s exit from Cricket World Cup 2019, has extended his break and hence, will not be available for selection until November this year. As per a report in Mumbai Mirror he will now be extending his break from cricket, meaning he will miss out on both the Vijay Hazare Trophy as well as the home T20I series against Bangladesh.

With Team India's shocking exit from Cricket World Cup 2019, speculations on MS Dhoni's future and retirement rumors began looming. MS Dhoni puts immediate retirement rumors to rest. After the defeat against New Zealand in the semi finals it was speculated that we have seen the last of MS Dhoni in Indian colors. Where Dhoni's close friend Arun Pandey reacted on the retirement rumors by saying "Mahendra Singh Dhoni has no plans to retire, Team India desperately needs him. The team needs him more than him needing the team,”

Just a day before the selectors meet for West Indies tour, MS Dhoni has informed BCCI he won't be available for 2 months as he'll be joining Parachute Regiment of Territorial Army for 2 months.

Now as per latest reports in Mumbai Mirror, the break is set to extend until November, which means that he won’t be a part of the three-match T20I series against Bangladesh at home. 

The break also means that he won’t be a part of the Vijay Hazare Trophy, which is scheduled to start in a couple of days. The earliest now one might see Dhoni back is in the Men in Blue’s ODI and T20I series versus the Caribbean team, starting December 6. If not, then one has to wait for the series versus Zimbabwe and Australia from January 5 to 19 for Dhoni to make his comeback.

Just a few days back Indian legend Sunil Gavaskar expressed his thoughts on MS Dhoni  and his future with the Indian Team, “His overall presence is so calming on the field, it’s fantastic for the captain because the captain gets the benefit of his views. So that’s a huge plus.

“But I think the time has come. Everybody has a shelf life,” he added. “He should be going without being pushed out. He should be going on his own terms.”

With MS Dhoni's retirement speculations, Rishabh Pant still being in a developing stage, Will he be able to fill in those golden boots? Also the World T20 is around the corner, many questions still remained unanswered.

Will MS Dhoni feature in the World T20 next year in Australia, or have we seen the last of MS Dhoni? Perhaps the long wait for the answers still persist.