Published 21:48 IST, January 16th 2020
MS Dhoni has a very slim chance of making it to T20 WC: Madan Lal commits to a percentage
Former India all-rounder Madan Lal on Thursday said that it is very difficult for veteran wicketkeeper-batsman MS Dhoni to make it to the T20 World Cup squad
Soon after former India skipper MS Dhoni was dropped from BCCI's central contracts list for the upcoming season, former India all-rounder Madan Lal said that it is very difficult for the veteran wicketkeeper-batsman to make it to the T20 World Cup squad. Earlier, off-spinner Harbhajan Singh had also remarked that MS Dhoni might have played his last game for India, at the ICC 2019 World Cup.
'1% chance of Dhoni making it to T20 WC squad'
Speaking to a leading news daily on Thursday, the former Indian all-rounder and national coach, Madan Lal said that there is just 1% chance of MS Dhoni making it to the Team India squad for the upcoming World Cup in Australia. Lal attributed his speculation to Dhoni not playing domestic cricket apart from making himself unavailable for other series and just playing IPL. He added that this is the reason why BCCI did not give Dhoni the central contract for the upcoming season.
Earlier on Thursday, veteran spinner Harbhajan Singh had said that it is probably the end of the road for the wicketkeeper-batsman. The off-spinner reflected upon the upcoming IPL season and said that Dhoni will have a great IPL but yet will make himself unavailable for selection in the Indian team. Singh remarked that he does not see Dhoni making a comeback and as far as he knows, he thinks that MSD played his last game for India in the World Cup.
Dhoni will have to play Asia Cup for return
MS Dhoni, who has been speculated to be a contender for the upcoming T20 World Cup in Australia, can still make it to the squad despite missing out on the contract. If the veteran wicketkeeper-batsman makes it to the WC squad, he will be included on a pro-rata basis, a BCCI official told Republic World on the condition of anonymity. Nevertheless, Dhoni will first have to play the upcoming T20 Asia Cup first and if he plays a certain number of matches he will be included in the squad, the BCCI official confirmed.
The senior BCCI official also revealed that the decision pertaining to the contract was conveyed to MS Dhoni by the top brass of BCCI. "Let me clarify that one of the top-most BCCI office-bearers spoke to MS and told him about how they are going about in the central contracts. He was clearly told that since he hasn't played any game in the said period (September 2019 till date), he cannot be included for the time being," the official said.
Updated 21:48 IST, January 16th 2020