MS Dhoni remains in contention for India T20 World Cup squad, admits Ravi Shastri

The coach believes the 38-year-old could yet feature despite the selection-committee declaring their intent to move on from his career

•  India hub
•  Tendulkar backs five-day Tests

India coach Ravi Shastri says MS Dhoni could yet feature at this year's T20 World Cup, particularly if he enjoys a fruitful Indian Premier League season.

Dhoni has remained silent on his future since making his last competitive outing in the 50-over World Cup semi-final defeat to New Zealand.

In a rare recent public appearance, he urged reporters to wait until January for clarity over his future after the BCCI selection panel admitted they were ready to move on from the legendary former captain.

But Shastri has given Dhoni hope of taking his place in the World Cup squad for the tournament in October and November in Australia and believes a good IPL with Chennai Super Kings could secure his place.

"You will have to see who will do the job at what number, what role, who is the best guy," he told CNN-News18. "You will take experience into account. You will take youth into account. You will take flamboyance into account. 

"And who fits into that number the best whether it is X, Y or Z. Plus we are playing in Australia (so) who will adapt to those conditions the best.

IPL HUB

"Good IPL, then he puts himself into contention. Then it is the selectors' job to see what they want to do, but if he has a great IPL then he puts himself into contention."

Some uncertain recent T20 form in 2019 means India's squad is far from complete 10 months out from the tournament.

They won just three of the seven bilateral series in the format, losing to Australia and New Zealand along the way.

Rohit Sharma led the team during the 2-1 series win over Bangladesh last year in the absence of Virat Kohli and believes there are plenty of places up for grabs ahead of the showcase tournament.

"It is a long way from the World Cup," he stated. "We are preparing for that, (and) a lot of guys are getting ready for that. (It) means there are a lot of spots we need to fill. It is a work in progress. 

"Anyway the 15-20 guys we have are all really good and have performed really well and are very confident. It is just about doing what we need to do in Australia and then try and win that World Cup."