Sydney:
India’s ODI captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni today left open the possibility of playing in the 2019 World Cup in England, saying that he would take a call after the Twenty20 World Cup next year.
Dhoni, who retired from Test cricket late last year, said that he is 33 now and will wait till the T20 World Cup, to be held in India in March.
The wicketkeeper-batsman’s future has been a subject of speculation after his Test retirement and he has also spoken of the toll his body has taken by playing non-stop cricket.
“I am 33, I’m still running and I am still fit. Next year (at the World T20) will be the right time to decide if I should play World Cup 2019,” Dhoni said in the post-match presentation.
Rated among the best finishers in ODI cricket right now for pulling off difficult run chases, Dhoni has been India’s most successful skipper, having led the side to two World Cup titles (the 2007 World T20 and the 2011 ODI World Cup).
Questioned about his future in the post-match press conference after the crushing 95-run loss to Australia in the World Cup semifinals, Dhoni laughed off the query.
“You guys should carry out a research and then write the complete opposite because that would be the truth. I play for the enjoyment of the game and the day I decide to go, I will pack my bags and happily go away,” he said with a grin.
Dhoni has played 262 ODIs, scoring 8299 runs at an impressive average of 52.46.
