MS Dhoni: Unwarranted retirement talks emerge ahead of Asia Cup, World Twenty20

New Delhi: The unwarranted talks of Mahendra Singh Dhoni's retirement continue to do the rounds even as the Indian team is preparing for the Asia Cup T20 and World Twenty20 competitions.

On Friday, reports emerged claiming that the Indian skipper will not hang his boots anytime soon and even carried seemingly irrelevant quotes to start the fire.

"After the Asia Cup T20 and World T20 there is the Indian Premier League. And then the team is mostly playing Test cricket and about five to six ODIs, which will be over quickly," Dhoni was quoted widely as saying.

Ever since his unexpected retirement from Test cricket in December 2014, and the emergence of Virat Kohli as a viable leader to captain all three formats of the game, Dhoni's retirement has become a subject of much speculations.

Even during the recently concluded Australia series Down Under, a perturbed Dhoni asked journalists to "file a PIL" when he was asked about retirement.

The subject itself has become a nagging question to Team India Director Ravi Shastri.

“Never fool around with champions. When someone has done it so well for so long, they have a right to decide. You saw how he left Test cricket, when no one expected.

"So what makes you think he will hang on for the sake of it? If he believes he is good, he will stay, if he believes his time is up, he will go, that much I can assure you of MS Dhoni,” the former India captain said in an interview with Hindutan Times.

Dhoni will lead India in their bid to win second World Twenty20 title in March-April, just after the Asia Cup in Bangladesh.