Sakshi Dhoni has broken silence on retirement rumours surrounding husband and India wicket-keeper-batsman Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Thursday. Rumours regarding Dhoni’s future started to do the rounds on social media after skipper Virat Kohli posted a memory with former India captain on his Twitter handle. Kohli shared a picture of a Super 10 match against Australia during WT20 2016 and his post read: “A game I can never forget. Special night. This man, made me run like in a fitness test.”@msdhoni.”
However, Sakshi took to social media to end such talks with a simple message and her Twitter post read: “Its called rumours!”
Earlier, during the press conference after announcement of India’s 15-member Test squad against South Africa, chief selector MSK Prasad too quashed such reports by saying: “No update on MS Dhoni’s retirement, the news is incorrect.”
After missing the tour of West Indies, Dhoni won’t be taking part in the T20I series against South Africa as he wasn’t included in the 15-man squad announced last month. Later, Prasad clarified that Dhoni had made himself unavailable for the series and wasn’t dropped.
“Yes he was unavailable for selection,” MSK Prasad told India Today on being asked about Dhoni’s availability.
In the 15-man squad announced for the T20I series against South Africa starting September 15, India went ahead of Rishabh Pant as the designated wicket-keeper. The only change in the side that blanked West Indies 3-0 a month ago was the return of all-rounder Hardik Pandya in place of Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
Dhoni, who had taken a two-month sabbatical from the sport, is currently vacationing in the United States, having served the Territorial Army for 15 days.
Going strictly by the date of the squad selection for the tour of West Indies (July 21), Dhoni’s “self-imposed break,” taken after the ICC World Cup 2019, officially ends on September 21, a day before the final T20 International against the Proteas.
“This selection committee is clear on one front. They will never ask any questions to Dhoni with regards to retirement as that’s not their domain. But till they are in charge, they reserve the right to select the squad and as far as they are concerned, Rishabh Pant is now India’s first-choice keeper across formats,” a senior BCCI official told sources.
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