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India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Saturday denied reports that the senior players had asked not to be selected for the One-Day International series against New Zealand next month to give them time to prepare for the tour to South Africa.
"We have not done anything like that as of now," Dhoni said in Margao, when quizzed on the issue, on the eve of the third and final One-Day International against Australia.
Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) chief administrative officer Ratnakar Shetty had said earlier this week that senior players would not be picked for the New Zealand ODIs and would be sent to South Africa instead.
Coach Gary Kirsten had requested the BCCI to allow the senior players, including captain Dhoni, to be sent to South Africa, to get acclimatized to the conditions, ahead of their tour to the African nation in December.
"The plan now is to send some of the Test players early. The team management and the coach expressed their desire that there is a need for acclimatisation in South Africa," Shetty said in Mumbai.
Following their three-Test series that ends on Novenber 24, India and New Zealand will play a five-match ODI series that concludes on December 10, six days prior to India's first Test vs South Africa in Centurion.
Shockingly, Dhoni said there was no discussion between the team and the Board on the subject. "As of now no confirmation has been from the players' side to the BCCI and nothing has been received from the BCCI as of now."
He refused to go into further details saying: "I think tomorrow's game is more important right now rather than thinking about what we are supposed to do after the New Zealand Test series. As I always say, I don't think too much about the future. What will be important will be utilization of the four-five days break that we have got and then concentrate on the Test series. After that in between we will get some time to see what can be done and what needs to be done."