Indian limited overs captain, Mahendra Singh Dhoni has been given the option to back out of the forthcoming Zimbabwe tour if he wants to. The ‘Men in Blue’ are set to face the African nation on a short tour that has been scheduled from June 11 to 20. It has been reported that the selection committee headed by Sandeep Patil has asked Dhoni to get back to them with his final decision in the coming days.
According to a number of reports, the five-man selection committee wants to give the youngsters a chance to showcase their talent and prove their worth in the upcoming Zimbabwe tour. A source from the BCCI has confirmed the news as he said that the selectors are indeed backing a comparatively inexperienced squad to tour the current world number 11 (ODIs).
However, the selectors are keen to include Mahendra Singh Dhoni in the squad since he will not have any international assignment until March 2017.
“Yes, it is true that selectors have spoken to some of the senior Indian players intimating them that they would be looking at juniors during this tour. While Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan were set to be rested, there were some seniors, who had made themselves available for the tour.
“But selectors told them that only exception may be made for Dhoni, who no longer plays Test cricket,” the source confirmed.
Also read: India vs Zimbabwe 2016: Probable Playing XI of India for Zimbabwe Tour 2016
“The selection committee has left it completely on Dhoni to decide whether he wants to go or not. He is free to opt out as he has also played a lot of cricket but if he does not go, he will not have a single limited overs assignment until March next year. In case Dhoni is reluctant, then Ajinkya Rahane is the likely choice to lead the side,” he added.
Former chief selector Kiran More believes Naman Ojha should get a chance
The former Indian wicketkeeper and chief selector, Kiran More believes that the ‘Men in Blue’ should include a regular wicketkeeper in the squad if Mahendra Singh Dhoni decides to opt out of the tour. “Dhoni is still the best wicketkeeper-batsman in India. It won't be a bad idea if he goes for the tour as there aren't many limited-overs matches to play this year.
“But if he doesn't, then a proper wicketkeeper should go,” Kiran More told TOI.
“At this moment, Naman (Ojha) looks to be the best man. Sanju (Samson) did have a couple of sessions with me but he still has a lot of work to do in his keeping,” he added.
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