Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni will be the only player who would not play the opening round Ranji Trophy fixture when India take on England in the first cricket Test at Ahmedabad from November 15, says a report in The Times of India.
“The first round of the Ranji Trophy will be played across various centres from November 2-5 but the Indian captain who hasn't played for his state even once in last five years has decided against playing Jharkhand's opening match against J&K in Srinagar,” says the report.
"For the last six or seven years, I have been playing for India regularly and this time the local association asked me whether I was fit or not. I told them that I have cough and cold and not to consider me for selection," Dhoni said.
Meanwhile, Meanwhile, Deccan Herald reports that Dhoni like Virat Kohli and Harbhajan Singh wants to see turning tracks in the series against England.
“It has been a while since I have seen spinners dominating a Test match. I would want to see that against England. We usually take the advice from the curators before a game. He knows the wicket best. We generally put in a requisition on the type of pitch we would prefer for a game.
But at the end of the day, the groundsmen know the best. “If you talk about a sporting pitch, there is no such definition for it. However, when you come to the sub-continent you get turning tracks here. But we want to improve our game by playing on all kinds of surfaces,” he said.