Sabbatical/Retirement: What's Dhoni hinting at?

A source close to Mahendra Singh Dhoni said the former captain will take a call on his future after next year's IPL.

"January tak kuch nahi dikhega (nothing till January)", said Mahendra Singh Dhoni, in Mumbai on Wednesday, as he sought to steer clear of queries on his ongoing break from cricket, which has fuelled intense speculation about his future in the game.

VIDEO: Hitesh Harisinghani/Rediff.com

Dhoni has been on a sabbatical since India's semi-final exit from the ODI World Cup in England in July. He has missed the tour of the West Indies and the home series against South Africa and Bangladesh.

The 38-year-old, who captains Chennai Super Kings in the IPL, will miss the limited-overs home assignment against the West Indies starting December 6 and comprising three T20 Internationals and an equal number of One-dayers.

A source close to Dhoni said the former captain will take a call on his future after next year's IPL.

VIDEO: ANI

National selection committee chairman MSK Prasad has already made it clear that the panel has 'moved on' and Dhoni is aware of its intent to blood youngsters such as Rishabh Pant keeping in mind next year's T20 World Cup in Australia.

Dhoni was seen training with Jharkhand's under-23 team in Ranchi some days back, triggering a fresh round of speculation on a possible comeback.

BCCI president Sourav Ganguly has stated that Dhoni will get the respect that a player of his stature deserves and had ruled out an immediate retirement by the celebrated wicketkeeper-batsman.