MS Dhoni, who injured his hamstring during India’s first match of the Caribbean tri-series, could play in the tournament’s final if India make the top two, according to stand-in captain Virat Kohli. Dhoni had done a bit of running during India’s warm-ups ahead of their match against Sri Lanka on Tuesday – a must-win game for India – and Kohli said at the toss that he could be ready to play the final should India make it.
Dhoni injured his right hamstring during India’s one-wicket loss against West Indies on June 30, while running between the wickets. He had received treatment on the field during his innings of 27 and did not take the field in the second innings. He was subsequently replaced by Ambati Rayudu in the squad but, unlike in ICC tournaments where replacements require official sanctioning and are binding, there are no rules in this tournament to prevent him from playing the final.
Dhoni is not part of India’s squad for the limited-overs tour to Zimbabwe that begins on July 24.
The India-Sri Lanka game was the final of the league phase of the tri-series. Sri Lanka were already all but through to the final ahead of the game – they could only be eliminated if they lost the match by a whopping margin – but India needed to win to progress, while West Indies were depending on a Sri Lanka victory.
