No sooner than the former India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni was dropped from the Indian T20I squads for the three-match rubber against the West Indies and also the subsequent three T20I matches against Australia, speculations were rife that this may be end of chapter for the World Cup winning captain.
BCCI's chairman of selectors MSK Prasad announced that Dhoni isn't part of both the T20I squads, with rookie keeper-bat Rishabh Pant set to don the big gloves.
In an exclusive conversation with OTV, ace cricketer Dilip Vengsarkar spoke on what he feels on Dhoni’s ouster from the team for the Windies & Australia T20Is.
I guess Dhoni wants to play only one format of the game, because next big tournament is World Cup, that’s what I feel. And you have to look ahead as well. Rishabh Pant is a young guy, very talented, & he did very well in the IPL as well. I think India is looking for a T20 guy who would play for India for a long time. And Pant fills that place.
Dhoni, of course, has been an outstanding cricketer and his service to Indian cricket has been huge. I would say I think he wants to play World Cup now, Vengsarkar reiterated.
Assuring that the doors aren't totally closed for Dhoni's return to the shortest format, MSK Prasad had earlier said, "Dhoni is not going to play the 6 T20Is because we're looking at the second keeper slot. It is not the end of Dhoni in T20Is.”