Dhoni no longer first-choice wicket-keeper, likely to skip Windies tour: Reports

Dhoni’s future has been widely speculated ever since India lost to New Zealand in the World Cup semifinal on July 9. The 38-year-old is expected to make an announcement on it in the coming few days

Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s future has been widely speculated ever since India lost to New Zealand in the World Cup semifinal on July 9. The 38-year-old is expected to make an announcement on it in the coming few days. As per a report in Times of India, Dhoni has made himself unavailable for next month's tour of West Indies that will be announced on July 19. “MS will not go to the West Indies. Going forward, he will not travel with the team within India or overseas as the first-choice wicket-keeper. Rishabh Pant will take over and there will be a grooming window for him until he settles down,” a BCCI was as quoted by Times of India. “For all you know, he could be part of the 15 but not part of the 11. This team needs a guiding hand on multiple fronts and wishing MS away is clearly unhealthy,” the source further added. “He’s already proved himself to be the kind of guy who preferred ‘why’ more than ‘when’ where his career graph is concerned. He’ll go, but what’s the hurry?” say sources as per TOI. Apart from young wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant, the selectors also have an option of picking senior and experienced Dinesh Karthik for the tour.