Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar feels it would be very difficult for MS Dhoni to find a place in the India squad for the T20 World Cup slated to be played in October-November in Australia.

“I would definitely like to see Dhoni in India’s World Cup squad but it’s highly unlikely that it is going to happen,” Gavaskar told Dainik Jagran.

“The team has moved on. Dhoni is not someone to make big announcements so I reckon he would silently retire from the game.”

Dhoni, 38, last played for India at the 2019 World Cup in England where the Men in Blue were knocked out in the semi-finals. Since then, he has been on a sabbatical and is due to appear on the cricket field in the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

One of the biggest names in Indian cricket, Dhoni led India to two world titles — the 2007 World T20 in South Africa and the 2011 ODI World Cup at home.

The veteran has played 90 Tests, 350 ODIs and 98 T20 Internationals for India, accumulating over 17,000 runs and effecting a staggering 829 dismissals behind the stumps.

India head coach Ravi Shastri has already stated that Dhoni’s selection depends on his performance in IPL.

The IPL 2020 edition, originally due to start on March 29, has been postponed till April 15 due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Dhoni was training with the Chennai Super Kings squad but had to leave midway due to the COVID-19 pandemic which has so far claimed more than 11,000 lives across the world.

Recently, the Sports Ministry has made it clear that the fate of the 13th edition of the IPL can be decided only after the government comes out with a fresh advisory after April 15, keeping in mind the situation with regards to the coronavirus outbreak.

Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju reiterated that while it is the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) which decides on cricketing matters, the pandemic is something which has a direct effect on the loves of the citizens of the country.

“After April 15 the government will come up with new advisory and guidelines according to the situation. BCCI is a body that looks after cricket which is not an Olympic sport. But here it is not the question of the sporting event alone but a question of the safety of the citizens. In an event there will be thousands of spectators. So it is not just for the sports bodies or sportspersons it is for every citizen of the country,” he said.

The BCCI earlier put the IPL on hold till April 15 even though the tournament was set to start from March 29 after the government issued a travel advisory which made it clear that foreign players wouldn’t be issued visas to come into the country. This was done in a meeting on March 11.

The Sports Ministry on March 12 made it clear that all sporting events should be cancelled in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak. And if it is unavoidable, the events should be held behind closed doors so as to avoid mass gatherings.

The Delhi government went a step further and said that there would be no IPL matches in the national capital till March 31.

BCCI President Sourav Ganguly also informed the media after the meeting with IPL franchise owners last Saturday at the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai that all calls would be taken keeping in mind the advisory from the government.

Agencies