'If Dhoni doesn't vacate his place, Dhoni would be axed from team': reports

London: MS Dhoni has kept everyone perplexed by keeping mum on his retirement, however there’s a strong hint that he may not be seen in the blue jersey anymore. Many cricket experts and pundits have stated that time has come for Dhoni to bid goodbye to the cricket world and pave way for the youngsters.

Recently, former Pakistani pacer, Shoaib Akhtar has stated that the decision to retire lies on entirely Dhoni, but it would be advisable for Dhoni to quit before others start to mock and tease him. Akhtar, also stated that Dhoni must see whether his body permits him to carry on at the highest level as after 35 generally the body slows even when there’s a mental desire to carry on.   

Dhoni drew heavy flak for his slow knock of 42 from 31 balls versus England during the league stages. In that match Dhoni seemed to have given up the chase before the last over, however he did managed to hit a few boundaries towards the end as the match was already lost.    

As per the statements of some reliable sources, if Dhoni hasn’t taken a decision on his retirement, then prime selector MSK Prasad is slated to have a few words with Dhoni, Prasad may explain to him that his playing days are over.

In an Interview with the TOI, the source stated, “We’re surprised that he’s not done it so far. There are youngsters like Rishabh Pant waiting to grab their chances. As we saw in the World Cup, Dhoni isn’t the same batsman anymore. Despite coming in at No. 6 or 7, he was struggling to force the pace, and it was hurting the team.”

The source clearly stated that there was no chance that the former Indian captain would be selected for the upcoming tour of West Indies. The source said, “I don’t think he’s in the selectors’ plan for the 2020 T20 World Cup too. He must quit international cricket gracefully. He isn’t an automatic pick any more.”

Surprisingly, Dhoni didn’t communicate with any selectors to inform them regarding his decision to retire after the World Cup. The source stated, “We didn’t want to distract him, and he too must have wanted the team, and himself, to be focused on the Cup. But the time to take a call is now. He has nothing left to achieve or prove in international cricket anymore.”

The source further added, “I’m certain that Dhoni is not going to be picked for India again. It’s high time he calls it a day,” a prominent former India cricketer, well-versed with how things work in Indian cricket. “In fact, I think even Virat Kohli’s captaincy could be reviewed. This campaign wasn’t successful by any standards. Accountability has to start from the top.”

Currently, it seems that Dhoni’s time has got over. In a bright international career, Dhoni has amassed 10,773 ODI runs at an average of 50.57, and 1617 T20I runs at 37.60. If that sources’ word comes true then this will be his final career statistics.  

Selection date unclear

Meanwhile, the selection date of the Indian team for the West Indies tour in July-August is still hazy as few players are still left stranded in Manchester due to the unavailability of return flight tickets. The tour includes three T20Is, ODIs, followed by a test series.