Former Indian skipper MS Dhoni might not be considered by the BCCI for the upcoming T20I series against South Africa. Reports suggest that the BCCI is keen on giving chance to youngsters in the shortest format of the game ahead of the world tournament in February 2020.
“There are only 22 T20 Internationals before India play their first World T20 game and selectors are clear in their vision that it’s time to move forward. They are planning on getting a pool of three keepers ready for limited-overs, especially T20s”, a senior selection committee official said PTI.
Dhoni didn”t take part in the Carribean tour due to his involvement with the army. He informed his unavailability to the BCCI for a period of two months. While most of his fans were waiting for his return, this news has created a lot of dull faces.
In his absence, Rishabh Pant has been given an opportunity to excel as a wicket-keeper batsman. However, he wasn”t at his brutal best in the ongoing tour.
The senior official also said that Ishan Kishan and Sanju Samson are the possible backups for the spot.
“Pant scored a fifty in the last T20 that he played. Ishan Kishan is in the A set-up. Do we even have an option of looking back when we need consistent big hitters on big Australian grounds?“, said the official.
The squads for the series will be picked on September 4, hence an official confirmation is awaited.
The Proteas tour
The three-match T20I series will commence on September 15. The Proteas will be having a new skipper in the form of Quinton de Kock. Furthermore, the Proteas management is completely under renovation after their poor world cup outing. A great challenge awaits them when facing India at home conditions.