New Delhi: India's limited overs skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni will most likely get to play a couple of warm-up games before the England ODI series gets underway.
Since Dhoni no longer plays the Test format, the question of him playing first class cricket like every other cricketer vanishes away. This has been a reason of worry to selectors considering the captain's lack of match practice.
Before the start of the limited overs series in Pune on January 15, England are scheduled to play two warm-up matches (50 overs) against an India A on January 10 and 12 at the CCI ground in Mumbai.
Dhoni has not had a an outing in professional cricket setup since last playing in the home series against New Zealand in October. This means that he would head into the ODI series without proper game time for 77 days if the practice games are not played.
Dhoni has reportedly been training regularly with the Jharkhand Ranji team which has qualified for the knock-out stages but Mahi has not iterated any intention to play for them thus far.
JSCA secretary Rajesh Verma also clarified the same making it clear that Dhoni was only a 'mentor' to the team and will not be donning whites since he has already retired from Test cricket.
With wicket-keeper batsman prodigy Rishabh Pant also doing well, it remains to be seen whether selectors pick him as a back-up to MS Dhoni.
It will not be a bad idea if both Dhoni and his heir apparent play in the same game which could be a treat for the handful who will be attending the match.
(With PTI inputs)
