Tuesday, Apr 23, 2024 | Last Update : 11:24 PM IST
Dhoni to play warm-ups ahead of England series?
Dhoni last donned Indian colours as India took on New Zealand in the 5th ODI in Visakhapatnam.
New Delhi: Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who is regularly training with Jharkhand Ranji team, is likely to play two warm-up games for India A ahead of the limited-overs series against England.
India will take on Eoin Morgan-led side in the first ODI on January 15 next year.
Before the start of the limited overs series, England are scheduled to play two warm-up matches (50 overs) against an India A on January 10 and 12 at the CCI ground in Mumbai.
Dhoni, who has not been playing since the home series against New Zealand in October, would have gone into the ODI series without proper game time for 77 days.
While Dhoni is practicing with his state team which has qualified for the knock-out stages of the Ranji Trophy, JSCA secretary Rajesh Verma had made it clear that Dhoni was only a 'mentor' to the team and will not be donning whites since he has already retired from Test cricket.
It will be interesting to see whether the selectors also pick young Rishabh Pant as a back-up or a pure wicketkeeper knowing his big hitting skills in domestic cricket.
It will not be a bad idea if both Dhoni and his heir apparent play in the same game which could be a treat for the handful who will be attending the match.
