In recent times, the 37-year-old Dhoni has been under scrutiny with his slow batting. He was criticised by former cricketers and fans. However, captain Virat Kohli threw his weight behind Dhoni. Also, India’s assistant coach Sanjay Bangar had supported him
Birmingham: Former India captain MS Dhoni is likely to retire from international cricket after the ongoing ICC World Cup 2019, according to a report on Wednesday (July 3).
News agency PTI reported that India’s last match at the World Cup is most likely to be Dhoni’s final game in the national jersey.
Also read: Virat Kohli supports MS Dhoni amid criticism
On Tuesday (July 2), Dhoni was part of the Indian team that defeated Bangladesh by 28 runs to reach the World Cup 2019 semi-finals.
In recent times, the 37-year-old Dhoni has been under scrutiny for his slow batting. He was criticised by former cricketers including batting legend Sachin Tendulkar and fans. However, captain Virat Kohli threw his weight behind Dhoni. Also, India’s assistant coach Sanjay Bangar had supported him.
Also read: Bharat Arun on Dhoni's slow batting
“Dhoni knows exactly what he wants to do in the middle. When he has an off day here and there, everyone starts talking. We always back him. He has won us so many games. The best thing about having someone like him is when you need those 15 to20 runs, he knows exactly how to get them,” Kohli had firmly defended his former skipper.
He had added, “His experience, eight out of 10 times, works for us. He's the one guy who sends out a message about what the par score is on a pitch. If he says 265 is a good score on a pitch, we don't aim for 300 and end up scoring 230. He's a legend for us, and hopefully he'll continue.”
"You never know with MS Dhoni. But it is unlikely that he will continue to play for India after this World Cup. But since his decisions to quit captaincy from the three formats have been taken so suddenly, it is very difficult to predict at the moment," a senior BCCI official told PTI on condition of anonymity.
Dhoni, who will turn 38 on July 7, has so far played 90 Tests, 348 ODIs and 98 T20Is since making debut in 2004. He led India to 2011 World Cup glory and is one of the best captains in the world. He will next be seen in action against Sri Lanka at the World Cup 2019 on Saturday (July 6). This is India's last league match and next they play the semi-finals with date and opponents yet to be decided.
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