Champions Trophy: MS Dhoni advised selectors to keep 5 players on stand-by, reveals BCCI

New Delhi, May 9: The 15-member Indian cricket team for the upcoming Champions Trophy 2017 was announced on Monday (May 8) with five players being kept on stand-by. After announcing the squad for the ICC event, chairman of selectors MSK Prasad also dispelled the doubts about Mahendra Singh Dhoni's future in international cricket, terming him the world's best wicketkeeper at the moment. The 35-year-old MS Dhoni's heir apparent in limited overs Rishabh Pant, has made a strong case for himself but he is being groomed as one for the future. Pant was put in the list of five players whom the selectors kept on stand-by. If reports are to be believed, it was Dhoni's idea to keep a few players on the stand-by, who could be used in case any player/s get injured during the ICC tournament. As per a report in The Times Of India, Dhoni - who is known for his understanding of the game - himself had asked BCCI to keep 5 stand-by players ready in case an eventuality arises in England considering the fact that most of the players have been playing non-stop cricket for the past nine months or so. "It was Dhoni's idea to keep the stand-bys ready. The Indian team has suffered a lot with breakdowns in the middle of big series," a top BCCI official was quoted as saying by TOI. This shows that Dhoni - who stepped down as the limited-overs skipper earlier this year - still enjoys the confidence of selectors and his suggestions are still taken into consideration. Even his successor Virat Kohli doesn't shies away from taking suggestions from Dhoni during course of the game.  The stand-by players for the tournament train at National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru after the Indian Premier League gets over. "The stand-by players will be issued visas and will practice at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru," MSK Prasad, chairman of selection committee, told media persons on Monday. All these 5 players who were put on a stand-by were a part of Team India in the recent international tournaments.