Canberra: Team India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Saturday hinted that chances of him being in the side for defending the World Cup title in 2015 are not guaranteed and he will take a call on his One Day International (ODI) future in 2013.
“If you see 2015, three and a half years to go, I don’t really know where I will stand. Everything needs to go off well and then close to 2013, I will have to take a call whether I can be 100 per cent available for the 2015 World Cup,” Dhoni was quoted as saying by a TV channel CNN-IBN.
The 30-year-old Dhoni, who has been around since 2005, has been captaining India in all three formats, in addition to his role as wicketkeeper-batsman.
“Because at the end of the day you don’t want a wicket-keeper part of the side who has not played at least 100-odd games – at least close to 80-100 games going into the World Cup. So that’s a call that needs to be taken. But if everything goes off well, 2013 end will be the time where we will have to carefully study the body and see what can be done.” Dhoni said after receiving the news channel’s Indian of the Year – Sports award for 2011.
India’s packed schedule in recent years, with the IPL thrown in, has compelled Dhoni to prioritise and take adequate rest before important tours.
This year, he skipped the one-dayers in the West Indies after an exhausting World Cup and the IPL, as well as West Indies’ return series (ODIs) in India which concluded recently.
With a host of trophies already in his kitty, Dhoni’s trophy cabinet in limited-overs cricket includes the World Cup, the 2007 World Twenty20, plus two IPL titles and the 2010 Twenty20 Champions League. The 2011 World Cup remains his most significant achievement till date, smashing an unbeaten 91 in a tense final against Sri Lanka in Mumbai, sealing the victory with a six. (UNI)