MS Dhoni had made himself unavailable for the West Indies series as he went to serve in the Army in Kashmir. He has finished his stint and was expected to play against the Proteas. However, it was not to be as the selectors picked Rishabh Pant as the lone specialist wicketkeeper
Mumbai: India’s selectors announced the Twenty20 International squad for the next month’s home series against South Africa. There was a big name missing in the 15-man squad revealed by the MSK Prasad-led selection panel. It was MS Dhoni.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) did not clarify why Dhoni was not picked for the three-match rubber that starts in Dharamsala on September 15. The BCCI sent the team list through a media advisory.
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Dhoni had made himself unavailable for the West Indies series as he went to serve in the Army in Kashmir. He has finished his stint and was expected to play against the Proteas. However, it was not to be as the selectors picked Rishabh Pant as the lone specialist wicketkeeper.
Now, the selection panel chief Prasad has clarified why Dhoni was not chosen in the 15-man squad.
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"Yes he was unavailable for selection," Prasad told India Today on Thursday (August 29) after the selection meeting.
The 38-year-old Dhoni has so far played 90 Tests, 350 ODIs and 98 T20Is. He made his international debut in 2004 and is arguably India’s greatest captain in the limited-overs format.
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Spinners Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav too were not selected. When asked about their omissions, Prasad said, Prasad said, "We are just trying to build a pool of spinners. The likes of Rahul Chahar, Krunal Pandya and Washington Sundar had done well in the last series and they deserve another go."
All-rounder Hardik Pandya returned to the squad in place of Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Jasprit Bumrah was rested. The team will be led by Virat Kohli with Rohit Sharma as his deputy.
Today, India will face West Indies in Kingston, Jamaica in the second and final Test of the two-match series. The visitors hold a 1-0 lead after having won in North Sound.
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