This is what MS Dhoni had said when asked about his retirement plans in November last year. It's January now, and while there's still no clarity on his future, there was another development related to the same in the form of BCCI player contracts. The former India captain found no place in the list, giving rise to a number of questions - yet again - about his future.
Not surprisingly, rumours of his retirement didn't take too long to surface once again. #ThankYouDhoni started trending on twitter soon after BCCI's announcement, with a section of fans already paying tribute to the legendary career. And yet, more mixed signals were sent when Dhoni trained with the Jharkhand side almost immediately after the announcement.
Dhoni's abscene from the contract list does not mean he cannot play another match for India. Dhoni has not played a match from September 2019 (the starting period for the current contract list), and will be automatically re-inducted on a pro-rata basis in case he plays again. The T20 World Cup, in fact, begins in October, after the current contract term ends.
Yet, it's also fairly obvious for anyone who has followed the saga that the likelihood of Dhoni playing for India again is very remote. Why then, is he not announcing the same? Well, it's his choice, as it is of the selectors to not pick him.
The more than likely scenario, though, is that Dhoni, the board and the team management are in agreement that he will only be a back up in case of a worst case scenario. A situation where Rishabh Pant goes completely out of form and confidence. And if the team is not convinced about other options.
Nothing stops a player from returning even after announcing retirement officially, but there's no harm in Dhoni remaining available just in case India need his experience. The middle order is a constant area of work for India, especially with someone like Hardik Pandya struggling with a back injury. It's no guarantee that Hardik will be the player he was, and India seem to want the insurance of Dhoni in case all other options don't work. Whether the current version of Dhoni, especially without much match practise, is the best man for the job is a debate but India bank on his experience to overcome those issues.
As Ravi Shastri pointed out, in case he has a very good IPL, India will want to have him around 'just in case'.
Chances, though, are very slim. Pant is yet to have a big knock but played a couple of decent cameos in the T20Is against West Indies. KL Rahul is a wicketkeeping option too, growing in confidence with the bat every time he plays T20Is.