There wasn't any point continuing with Dhoni if he will not play 2020 World T20, says BCCI official

The major talking point about the selection of the Indian squads for the upcoming T20I series against West Indies and the subsequent T20I and Test series against Australia is the absence of former India captain MS Dhoni from the limited-overs teams.

While many came to the conclusion that the 2007 World T20-winning captain has been dropped from the national side, chief selector MSK Prasad said that the team is trying to figure out the second wicketkeeper in the side and that is the reason why he was not included in the side as it will allow Rishabh Pant to don the gloves in both the tournaments.

It is understood that the Indian captains for both the series, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli were present in the selection meeting and were consulted before the selectors decided not to include him in the side as it does not make any sense to play him in the format if he won't be available for the next World T20 which will be held in Australia in 2020.

Talking about the decision, a BCCI official told PTI, "It's a given that Dhoni won't be around when next ICC World T20 happens in Australia in 2020. So, there wasn't any point continuing with him if he will not play World T20. Obviously, the selectors and team management had a good deliberation on this issue. Both Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma were present at the selection committee meeting. You think selectors could have gone ahead without their approval?."

Dhoni's absence will allow Rishabh Pant to make a case for himself to stake a claim in the limited-overs side ahead of the World Cup. It is very clear that the team management is looking at Pant as a possible replacement for Dhoni once the Indian legend decides to hang up his boots, which is expected to happen after the conclusion of the 2019 World Cup.