New Delhi: India coach Ravi Shastri says none can “mess around with” Mahendra Singh Dhoni if he decides to be in contention for next year’s T20 World Cup but the enigmatic former captain would “never impose himself” on the team.
In a soon-to-be-telecast interview on ‘India Today’ channel, Shastri was asked about the much-speculated future of Dhoni, who has been on a sabbatical ever since India’s semifinal exit from the ODI World Cup in England earlier this year.
“That (Dhoni) guy is a legend. The last thing he will want is to impose himself on an Indian team, having known him. He is wanting to take a break but he is going to play the IPL,” Shastri said on the show ‘The Inspiration’.
Asked if he isn’t ruling out a comeback by the 38-year-old, Shastri answered, “The amount of sport he has played… if he puts himself in contention… if he feels after the IPL that ‘I am good enough to play for India’, don’t mess around with that.” Dhoni, after maintaining a stoic silence on his future plans for months, had recently stated that, “Don’t ask anything till January.” (PTI)