Mahendra Singh Dhoni has a 'Cracked' Thumb: Report
Mahendra Singh Dhoni will miss the first Test against Australia in Brisbane starting December 4. He has been rested to help recover from injury.
It's the forearm. No, it's the wrist. No, no, it's the right thumb. So where exactly does Mahendra Singh Dhoni have the 'mysterious' injury? Even as media plays the guessing game, the exact area, according to a cricket website report, is the base of the right thumb, an area that normally takes a lot of pounding when keeping wickets. (The curious case of MS Dhoni's injury)
According to a report in ESPNCricinfo, Dhoni has a 'hairline crack at the base of the right thumb" and the decision to skip the Brisbane Test against Australia starting December 4 was taken as a precautionary measure to keep the captain injury free before the World Cup in February-March, 2015. (MS Dhoni is India's No. 1 skipper, not Kohli: Gavaskar)
"He could well have risked playing in Brisbane but eventually it was decided against playing him in the opening Test since nobody wants the injury to recur or aggravate with the World Cup set to start in a little over two months after the Brisbane Test," the website quotes a source. (Kohli will enjoy captaining India in Australia, says Dravid)
With BCCI not disclosing the time, nature and seriousness of Dhoni's injury, the media has been playing a guessing game. Media even hinted that Dhoni has lost interest in Test cricket and was more interested in the World Cup. Another section said Dhoni's days as Test captain was numbered and India had no choice but to put Virat Kohli in the hotseat.
It is learnt that Dhoni was playing with the thumb injury during the West Indies series that was curtailed after the Caribbeans pulled out over a payment dispute with their Board after the fourth ODI in Dharamsala. Dhoni was rested for the first three ODIs versus Sri Lanka.
After the Kohli-led Indians wrapped up the Lankan series with their third straight win in Hyderabad, Dhoni's "rest" period was extended but the decision on skipping the Brisbane Test came as a surprise.
Dhoni, much in demand from his many corporate connections, has been keeping his business commitments like appearing in commercial shoots and attending events. He will join the Indian team only after the Brisbane Test. Till then, Kohli will be in-charge.