The national selection committee was left deeply embarrassed after Mahendra Singh Dhoni declined to play Vijay Hazare Trophy quarterfinals for Jharkhand on Sunday despite chairman M.S.K. Prasad's public announcement a couple of days back.
The current fiasco confirms that there is no communication between the selectors and senior players, who decide their own schedule.
Dhoni, who has been out of touch as a batsman during the past two years, was expected to be part of Jharkhand's quarterfinal against Maharashtra.
But, on Saturday, Jharkhand chief coach Rajiv Kumar told reporters in Bengaluru that Dhoni has decided against playing the quarterfinal, contrary to what chief national selector had earlier announced.
RELATED ARTICLES
- IPL 2024: Dhoni-Jadeja combo takes CSK to 176/6 against gritty LSG
- Most dismissals by a wicketkeeper in IPL: Can Sanju Samson, KL Rahul ever surpass MS Dhoni's record?
- Top 10 batters with most sixes in IPL: Virat Kohli surpasses MS Dhoni | Gayle, Pollard and others
- MS Dhoni helped Shivam Dube become a batter who no longer ducks short balls
- 'Thala' MS Dhoni steps down as CSK captain, Ruturaj Gaikwad named new skipper
"Dhoni feels that it would not be fair for him to join us at this stage, given that the team has done so well and reached the quarterfinal stage in his absence. He does not want to upset the team balance," Jharkhand coach Kumar said.
ALSO READ: Current selection panel inexperienced; can't challenge Kohli, Shastri, says Kirmani
Since he has only played 22 days of international cricket this year (15 ODIs, 7 T20Is), Dhoni has looked out of sorts as a batsman, whenever he has come after a long break.
Accordingly, when, on last Thursday, chairman of selectors Prasad was asked about whether Dhoni and Ambati Rayudu will be playing the Vijay Hazare quarters, he replied: "Dhoni is playing the knockouts. About Rayudu, I will check and get back."
Jharkhand topped the group league stage with 32 points and Shahbaz Nadeem was their notable performer with a List A world record haul of 8 for 10.
There are now questions being raised whether Prasad had even consulted Dhoni in first place before making a public announcement.
"I would love to know how M.S.K. Prasad gets in touch with Dhoni," a senior BCCI official said on Saturday.
"Last heard, even V.V.S. Laxman didn't get a chance to speak to Dhoni before announcing his retirement. Hope he is telling the truth," he laughed.
Prasad had earlier been quick to retort about the alleged lack of communication cited by senior opener Murali Vijay and junior middle-order batsman Karun Nair.
Till date, his colleague Devang Gandhi has not confirmed whether he actually carried Prasad's messages to Nair and Vijay.
It is learnt that he has already been spoken to by CoA chief Vinod Rai and asked some tough questions about his panel's communication skills.
Selecting Shardul Thakur without verifying whether the pacer had fully recovered from a groin injury sustained during the Asia Cup has been another blot on this selection panel, possibly the most lightweight in terms of international cricketing experience.
