What next for MS Dhoni after the central contract snub by BCCI?

Perhaps nobody knows what is going on in the seemingly inaccessible mind of MS Dhoni. The legendary cricketer was dealt a huge blow when he was excluded from the list of centrally contracted players for the upcoming year.

And, how did Dhoni react to the snub?

He remained silent about the move, and as if to add further layer of mystery to the whole story, went ahead and practiced with the Jharkhand Ranji team in Ranchi. Dhoni has been on a sabbatical from the Indian team right from July 2019, after India were knocked out of the World Cup in the semi-finals. And, he has also refused to divulge any details about his future plans.

In fact, when Dhoni was asked about his retirement from international cricket in November 2019, this is what he had to say.

"January tak mat poocho (don't ask me till January),"

Outgoing selector MSK Prasad too had made it very clear that the team has started to look beyond MS Dhoni for the 2020 T20 World Cup.

"I made it very clear post the World Cup that we are moving on. We are giving opportunities to youngsters and see that they establish themselves in the side. With Rishabh Pant doing so well and even Sanju Samson coming into the side, I am sure you must be understanding our thought process.”

However, current Indian head coach Ravi Shastri has not ruled out Dhoni from the ‘scheme of things’. Shastri made it clear that if Dhoni can still prove his worth to the side, he could still be considered for selection for the 2020 T20 World Cup. The coach said,

"At his age, probably the only format he'll want to play is T20 cricket which means he'll have to start playing again, get back into the groove because he's going to play in the IPL and see how his body reacts."

Dhoni has maintained a conspicuous silence about his continued absence from international cricket. Even though it is clear that he will turn out for the Chennai Super Kings in the 2020 edition of the IPL, it remains unclear as to how long he will play for India after that, if at all.

Is he still holding back his retirement announcement till the time he feels that Rishabh Pant has well and truly settled into the role of the wicket-keeper? Is he waiting for a farewell series on home soil? Or maybe, does he want to end his career after the 2020 T20 World Cup, having one final swansong?

The answers to all these questions lie with just one man. And that is Dhoni himself. For, the cloak of mystery continues to shield him from us even today, and it shall remain that way till he walks away from the game.

We can still expect a few twists to the Dhoni tale though, for he is not done yet.