Kolkata: World Cup-winning captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni did not step down from the captaincy of the Indian limited overs’ teams on his own but was ,’ pushed’ by the selectors in making this ,’bombshell announcement’ according to reports from the Hindustan Times.
The BCCI on Wednesday announced that Mahendra Singh Dhoni has decided to step down from the captaincy of the ODI and T20 teams but would continue to remain a part of the same.
The Hindustan Times reports that according to the sources in the BCCI, Dhoni did not step down on his own. The chairman of the national selection committee MSK Prasad had met the wicket-keeper batsman during the semifinal match between Jharkhand and Gujarat in Nagpur.
Once Dhoni decided to call it quits from the captaincy of the ODI and T20 sides, Prasad was quick to applaud this decision and said, “I salute him for his sense of perfect timing. He knew that Virat (Kohli) is now a proven customer who has done exceptionally well as a leader in Tests.”
But, as per the sources, the process of shifting of the captaincy to Virat Kohli began as early as September when the new selection committee was set up. The five man panel set up in September 21 was made to envision the future of Indian cricket, with the primary focus given to the 2019 World Cup in England.
Dhoni, who would be 39 by the time the next 50 over World Cup begins , was explained as to why Kohli should be given the charge of the team, the sources said.
This was again discussed with Dhoni in Nagpur where he was present as the mentor of his state Ranji team Jharkhand who were taking on Gujarat, for a place in the Ranji Trophy finals.
After this, things happened pretty quickly as Dhoni stepped down from the captaincy on the 4th of January before the announcement was made.
There has been a pressure on Dhoni regarding his captaincy. While the Kohli led Test side has cruised to five test series victories in a row, the performance of the ODI side has been erratic in the recent times.
In 2015, India were outplayed the dominant Proteas by a 3-2 margin. They lost the semi-finals of the World Cup in the same year to Australia, the eventual champions.
They lost an ODI series by a 4-1 margin against Australia in Australia towards the fag end of 2015 and just managed to go past New Zealand by a 3-2 margin at home in 2016.
For a record, India won seven and lost six ODI matches last year. People from Dhoni’s camp argued that the ODI team wasn’t as strong as the Test team as the team selections were made focusing entirely on the five-day format.
While a full strength side was picked for the Test series against the Kiwis at home, the ODI side against the same opponents had the the likes of Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Mohammed Shami, missing as they were rested.
Despite several injuries, the players in the Test outfit did consistently well. Virat Kohli, in his first interview after being named as the skipper of the ODI and T20 teams’ said, “It’s a win-win situation for the captain coming in to still have Dhoni for his advice, his inputs and his cricketing brain.
“But what I’m most happy about is that he’ll be able to play free cricket and express himself as the aggressive MS Dhoni we knew when he first came into the team. As a player, responsibility can take that away from you. I think it’s time he enjoys his cricket because he has taken so much burden for the country.”
Dhoni had truly been a magnificent skipper for India over the years and now with him retired, it would be a test for Virat Kohli, who has achieved a lot of success in the five day format off-late.