'Absolute clarity' on Dhoni's future, but cannot make 'public' - Ganguly
"You'll find out in time," said the BCCI president about one of the big issues in Indian cricket right now
ESPNcricinfo staff
30-Nov-2019
MS Dhoni and Sourav Ganguly share a light moment • AFP
There is "absolute clarity" between MS Dhoni and the BCCI regarding his future, but the details aren't meant to made public right away, according to board president Sourav Ganguly.
India's premier wicketkeeper-batsman has been on a sabbatical ever since the end of the World Cup, and although the general public - as well as the media - can only speculate about what is going to happen, the administration appears comfortable.
"No, no, there is clarity, but certain things cannot be said on public platform," Ganguly told PTI. "There is absolute clarity on MS Dhoni and you'll find out in time.
"There's transparency between the board, MS and the selectors. When you deal with such champions - MS Dhoni is an unbelievable athlete for India - certain things have to be kept within the closed doors. It's very transparent and everybody knows where they stand."
Dhoni hasn't played any competitive cricket since India's World Cup semi-final loss to New Zealand at Old Trafford in July. He opted out of the West Indies tour that followed the World Cup, in order to spend a fortnight with the Indian territorial army, and since then has not featured in the squads for the home series against South Africa and Bangladesh and the upcoming one against West Indies. He hasn't played any domestic cricket in this period either.
In response to India head coach Ravi Shastri's comment that IPL 2020 will give a clear picture on Dhoni's future, Ganguly said, "We will see what happens, there's enough time. Of course it will get clear (within three months)."
On Wednesday, Dhoni himself had added to the speculation on his future with an intriguing comment: when asked the question by a reporter, Dhoni simply said, "January tak mat pooch (don't ask until January)." He, however, did not elaborate on what was meant to happen in January.
The selectors, meanwhile, have kept faith in Rishabh Pant as the limited-overs keeper in this time, with Sanju Samson picked as his back-up for the last two T20I series.