MS Dhoni Not Selected for South Africa Tour
(BCCI)
announced Thursday the 15-man squad for the next three-game T20I series against
South Africa, which was scheduled to start in Dharamsala on September 15. The
selectors chose the group, which shows that they decided to stick to the
winning combination that saw the Men in Blue thrash Windies win 3-0 in Florida
and Guyana.
MS
Dhoni's absence from the team raised eyebrows over his future with the Indian
team. According to some old news it was expected that Dhoni could take
a break from his international career after the 2019 World Cup, but Dhoni has
not yet revealed his future. While Rishabh Pant continues to retain his place
in the team, speculation about Dhoni's role in the Indian team has increased
considerably.
MSK
Prasad, the head selector of the Indian cricket team, revealed the decision not
to choose Dhoni for the T20I series against South Africa. Confirming this
information, Prasad told India Today: "Yes, he was not available for
selection."
Dhoni
had previously decided not to take part in the Caribbean tour to participate in
a 15-day stay with the Indian Territorial Army in Jammu and Kashmir. However,
the 38-year mission ended earlier this month. There is no explanation as to why
Dhoni's decision to remain unavailable for the series.
Team
India will face Proteas in three T20 international matches, Dharamsala
(September 15), Mohali (September 18) and Bengaluru (September 22). The T20I
series will be followed by a three-match trial series, which will be part of
the ICC World Test Championship.
