Dhoni joining squad unlikely; may silently retire from cricket: Gavaskar

Giving air to the speculations surrounding former India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s retirement, Sunil Gavaskar on Saturday (March 21) said that it’s “highly unlikely” for the wicketkeeper-batsman to find a place in the upcoming T20 World Cup squad and he may silently leave the game.

“I would definitely like to see Dhoni in India’s World Cup squad but it’s highly unlikely that it is going to happen. The team has moved on. Dhoni is not someone to make big announcements so I reckon he would silently retire from the game,” Gavaskar told Dainik Jagran.

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Former India skipper Gavaskar’s statement comes in the backdrop of the 38-year-old player being on a sabbatical since he last sported the national colours at the 2019 World Cup in England. However, Dhoni had taken the field during practice sessions of the Chennai Super Kings for the now postponed due to coronavirus, 13^th edition of the Indian Premier League.

Earlier, India head coach Ravi Shastri already stated that Dhoni’s selection depends on his performance in IPL.

The IPL 2020 edition, originally scheduled to kick-off on March 29, has been postponed till April 15 due to the COVID-19 outbreak which has claimed over 11,000 lives to date.