Dhoni may end his ODI career soon, says team India head coach Ravi Shastri
New Delhi, Jan 9: Two-time World Cup winning India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni may "soon end his ODI career", head coach Ravi Shastri has revealed.
Speaking on other issues, Shastri also slammed the ICC's four-day Test proposal, calling the concept "nonsense".
"I have had a conversation with MS and that is between us. He has finished his Test career, he may soon end his ODI career... In all probability, he will finish one-day cricket," Shastri told 'CNN News18'.
"People must respect that he's played non-stop in all formats of the game for a while.
"At his age, probably the only format he'll want to play is T20 cricket which means he'll have to start playing again, get back into the groove because he's going to play in the IPL and see how his body reacts."
The coach reiterated that the 38-year-old veteran could still be a contender for the T20 World Cup if he does well in the upcoming Indian Premier League.
"... So he will be left with T20, he will definitely play the IPL. One thing I know about Dhoni is that he will not impose himself on the team. But if he has a cracking IPL, well, then..."
Dhoni's last outing in India colours was during the World Cup semi final against New Zealand in July where he was run out following a half century.
Shastri said form and experience will be taken into consideration while picking the team for the shortest format's biggest event.
"We will have to consider the person's experience and form. They will bat in the number 5-6 position. If Dhoni plays well in the IPL then he does put himself in contention."
Dhoni, who is on a sabbatical right now, has turned up for the country in 350 ODIs, 90 Tests and 98 T20 Internationals while effecting a staggering 829 dismissals behind the stumps.
His career is studded with several milestones including leading India to the trophy in the 2011 World Cup where he finished the title clash with a six.
As the discussion turned to four-day Tests, Shastri, like some of the greats of the game such as Sachin Tendulkar and Ricky Ponting, opposed the idea.
"Four day Test is nonsense," he said.
"If this goes on we may have limited-overs Tests. There is no need to tamper with five-day Tests. If at all they want to tamper then let the top six sides play five-day Tests and the next six be allowed to play four-day Tests.
"If you want to preserve Tests then let the top six play more against each other. You have the shorter format to popularise the game."
When asked about day-night Tests, Shastri called on ICC to get the ball right.
"Day-night Test is still under test. I still feel that pink ball does not give any advantage to spinners, they need to get the ball right for day night. During the day you have full Tests, by night it looks like half Test.
"I still feel that you will get more people to watch Tests if you have the top six play each other (more often)."
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Maharashtra sets up state vaccination task force to strengthen immunisation programme
Mumbai (PTI): The Maharashtra government has set up a State Vaccination Task Force to strengthen the regular immunisation programme and review the progress of related campaigns, a health department official said on Monday.
The State Vaccination Task Force will comprise at least 29 members and will be headed by the administrative head of the health department, he informed.
The government has also constituted separate district-level and municipal vaccination task forces to improve implementation and address challenges at the grassroots level, he said.
Municipal task forces, chaired by respective civic commissioners, have been constituted in view of the vast urban population in Maharashtra and the role of civic bodies in implementing different health programmes.
The district-level task forces will function under the chairmanship of collectors.
"Complete immunisation of children at the appropriate age is an extremely simple, cost-effective and highly effective measure to reduce child mortality and the prevalence of diseases among kids. Immunisation is a powerful tool for reducing illness in children," maintained the official.
To ensure full vaccination of all children, the state government implements various campaigns from time to time as per the central government guidelines, he pointed out.
"Active participation and cooperation of other relevant government departments are essential (in making these campaigns successful)," according to the official.
The state-level body will review the regular immunisation programme, associated campaigns and vaccine-preventable diseases in detail. It will also conduct focused assessments of high-risk districts and municipal corporations, including vacancies at district, municipal and sub-district levels, availability of cold chain equipment, resource gaps and training requirements, he noted.
The state task force will review allocation and utilisation of funds for immunisation and ensure timely action by officers concerned based on reports from district and municipal task forces and state-level monitoring mechanisms, the official said.
It will also ensure active coordination and participation of other government departments in immunisation drives, while district and municipal task forces will carry out similar functions at their respective levels, the official added.
