File image of MS Dhoni
Does anyone keep himself unavailable for playing for India for as long as M.S. Dhoni has is the real question, according to former India captain and cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar. Dhoni has not played for India since the team's semi-final exit from the 2019 ICC World Cup.
Speaking after giving the 26th Lal Bahadur Shastri Memorial lecture, Gavaskar said that he can't speak on Dhoni's fitness.
"I can't tell you anything about fitness. But I think the question that needs to be asked is of MSD himself," Gavaskar told reporters.
"He has not made himself available to play for India since July 10. That is the important point. Does anyone keep himself away from playing for India for that long? That is the question and therein lies the answer," he said.
Dhoni has been on a sabbatical from all forms of cricket since the end of the World Cup in which time Rishabh Pant has been pushed as India's main man behind the stumps going into the upcoming 2020 T20 World Cup. Sanju Samson has also been consistently part of the squad following impressive performances in domestic cricket and played for India in place of Pant during their third T20I against Sri Lanka in Pune on Friday.
Gavaskar, however, refused to talk about the International Cricket Council's proposal to bring down the duration of Test matches from five days to four.
"What I think does not matter. It's what the current players think that matterd because they are the ones who will play the matches. They are the ones who should be consulted. They are more aware of the ground situation. I think we can be there and talk but they are well aware of what needs to be done," he said.
