M S Dhoni, India's most successful captain, has decided to hand over the baton to a new man, most probably Virat Kohli. He stepped down as ODI and T20 captain, but will be available for the selection as a player. He has remained as the much capped captain with 331 international matches (Tests, ODIs, T20Is). Ricky Ponting is second with 324.
Under Dhoni's leadership India have won the ICC T20 World Cup in 2007, the ICC ODI World Cup in 2011, ICC Champions Trophy in 2013 and let the team into the semi-finals of the 2015 World Cup. He reached the top of the Test rankings in 2009. Commenting on the development, BCCI Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Rahul Johri said: "On behalf of every Indian cricket fan and the BCCI, I would like to thank Dhoni for his outstanding contribution as the captain of the Indian team across all formats. Under his leadership, Indian team has touched new heights and his achievements will remain etched forever in the annals of Indian cricket," he added.
Sources close to Dhoni said he had been thinking of leaving the captaincy for the past few months. Dhoni's stunning announcement recalled his abrupt departure as Test skipper, and came two days after the BCCI president and secretary were removed by the Supreme Court in a bid to usher in an era of radical administrative reform in Indian cricket. However, unlike his Test retirement midway through a tour in Australia in December 2014, this time Dhoni is not quitting the shorter formats as a player. He will be available for selection for the ODIs and T20s against England.
Dhoni led India in 199 ODIs, winning 110, but the 35-year-old's stars have been on the wane in recent times, both as captain and batsman. Dhoni was in Nagpur mentoring the Jharkhand Ranji Trophy team, and is understood to have met and told chief selector MSK Prasad what was on his mind. “Dhoni has been a fantastic leader and a servant of Indian cricket. We respect his decision. He still has a lot to offer as a player and has communicated his thoughts to me,” Prasad said. Dhoni's decision significantly eases the task of the selectors, who had been facing the onerous task of having to decide when to ease him out as captain. They had also struggled to get a fix on Dhoni's future plans till now.
While India have remained unbeaten in 18 straight Tests under Kohli, the ODI team has lost 11 and won 10 matches since the 2015 World Cup, including a series loss in Bangladesh and a defeat to South Africa at home. With the bat too, Dhoni has struggled to replicate the form that once made him the most feared finisher in ODIs. He has candidly acknowledged that he needs to move up the order as he can no longer hit big shots at will from the word go.
