MS Dhoni L and Sarandeep Singh. Picture Credit: ICC and AFP
August 15, 2020 will definitely be one of the unforgettable days for the fans of Indian cricket. Though till 2019 the day would have been something for them to rejoice the independence of the country, in the year 2020 it turned out to be one of the most gloomy days of their life as MS Dhoni took a sudden retirement from international cricket on the day.
The cricket veteran decided to hang up his boots after the coronavirus pandemic forced the sports events to be getting either postponed or cancelled. An Instagram post from Dhoni in the evening of August 15 took everyone by surprise as barely someone knew that Dhoni would call time on his international career.
No one expected that a 39-year-old MS Dhoni carrying his bat towards the pavilion at Old Trafford after failing to take India home and hiding his tears meanwhile, would be the last moment people were seeing him in the national jersey. The recent revelation that the selectors wanted MS Dhoni to play the T20 World Cup 2020 in Australia further broke the heart of Dhoni's fans, who were longing to watch the cricketer on field in Indian colours.
Dhoni deserved to be in Indian squad for the T20 World Cup: Sarandeep Singh
Former India selector Sarandeep Singh has now revealed the reason why the Indian team selectors wanted Dhoni to play the mega event in Australia, which later got postponed.
"(MS) Dhoni had already decided that he wouldn't play the upcoming ODI World Cup in 2023. However, the given his experience, the national team selectors were looking to have him on board for the T20 World Cup slated to take place in 2020 in Australia which unfortunately couldn't take place due to the COVID-19 pandemic," said Sarandeep Singh in an interview to News Nation.
"We were looking to play him. If you have a player of such calibre, he must get a farewell. He deserved to be in Indian squad for the T20 World Cup. He has won India games many a time when the victory seemed impossible and his achievements meanwhile were equally good. Hence, we definitely wanted to have him in the squad, he added.