Is Dhoni on his way out?

Leeds, July 18 

MS Dhoni’s future has again become fodder for speculation after the battle-scarred veteran sought a match ball from the umpires at the end of the third ODI against England here on Tuesday. The 37-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman was seen seeking the ball from the umpires as the players left the ground after India lost the match by eight wickets and the series 1-2. 

The act was a little unusual for there wasn’t any reason why Dhoni would like to keep a souvenir from the match, unless he had decided that it was his last match. The video of the incident went viral on social media, and in no time cricket fans were speculating if the former skipper had dropped a hint at retirement. Sources in the team management, however, dismissed the speculation.

Dhoni, who had retired from Test cricket in the middle of India’s 2014 tour of Australia, has been under the scanner of late for not being able to score as prolifically as in the past. His legendary finishing skills and the ability to accelerate have been on the wane but current skipper Virat Kohli has backed him to the hilt, dismissing any criticism directed at the senior player. 

In 321 ODIs, Dhoni has scored 10,046 runs at an average of 51.25. He has 10 hundreds and 67 fifties to his name. Dhoni has 1,487 runs in 93 T20 Internationals at an average of 37.17, including two fifties. Under his captaincy, India won the ODI World Cup in 2011 after claiming the World T20 title in 2007. — PTI