Just over two years back, MS Dhoni stunned the world when he stepped down as the captain of Indian Test team in the middle of a Test series against Australia Down Under. He has done it again, as he dropped the bomb of stepping down as India s limited-overs sides out of nowhere on Wednesday evening. And expectedly, the announcement did not come from the man himself, who likes it that way. It was a tweet by BCCI that disclosed his stepping down. Dhoni s decision comes just a couple of days ahead of Team India s selection for limited-overs series against England. However, as he has conveyed, he shall remain available for selection.
The committee will meet on Friday, January 6 to select the team for the three-match ODI series against England. Although the next captain has not been announced, it is expected that Virat Kohli, the current captain of the Test team, will take over the reins. Dhoni has by far been India s best captain, with three ICC titles under his belt. He led India to win in inaugural ICC World T20 in 2007 and the 50-over World Cup in 2011. Under Dhoni India also won the ICC Champions Trophy in 2013 and became the No.1 Test team in ICC rankings.
“Mahendra Singh Dhoni has informed the BCCI, that he wishes to step down as the captain of the Indian Cricket Team from the One Day Internationals and the T20 Internationals formats of the game,” the BCCI press release in this regard stated.
The moment the news of Dhoni s stepping down spread, he started trending on Twitter, with the users on the microblogging site reacting to the development. We bring to you pick of the tweets in this segment here:
Hey @msdhoni yuv been one of the finest leaders of Indian Cricket @BCCI, led the team to great heights & inspired so many across countries! pic.twitter.com/2SQMU8T6CX
— Anurag Thakur (@ianuragthakur) January 4, 2017
Statement by @sachin_rt #MSDhoni pic.twitter.com/9kuFSfmUz8
— Gaurav Kalra (@gauravkalra75) January 4, 2017
Take a bow @msdhoni .To lead India for 9 years with such wonderful results, India were really blessed to have you as #Captain .
— Mohammad Kaif (@MohammadKaif) January 4, 2017
I congratulate @msdhoni on an illustrious career as Capt who led #TeamIndia to memorable victories in T20WorldCup 2007 & 2011 @ICC WorldCup! pic.twitter.com/bTAZoJ9J9b
— Anurag Thakur (@ianuragthakur) January 4, 2017
30months fr 2019WC & #Kohli will have had the experience of leading in CT in England.My guess is
this combo will win India many more matches pic.twitter.com/an9UVjsevW— Mohammad Kaif (@MohammadKaif) January 4, 2017
Time to stand up and applaud a magnificent servant, and indeed leader, of Indian cricket. #Dhoni
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) January 4, 2017
Clearly Dhoni thinks the moment has come. Thought he would quit after the Champions Trophy, but this is a selfless move.
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) January 4, 2017
There is no one like you.
You're the reason for millions of smiles.
Take a bow my Captain.@msdhoni #dhoni pic.twitter.com/NLRtTlcPhq— Sushant Singh Rajput (@itsSSR) January 4, 2017
This is not breaking… this is heart breaking! 🙁 #MSDStepsDown pic.twitter.com/rfBtXGqkmb
— Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) January 4, 2017
All things considered though, Dhoni has taken the right decision. Over the last year, this had become Kohli's team.
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) January 4, 2017
Met him today, told him he might be better off focussing on batting & keeping alone. Glad he took advice so soon pic.twitter.com/E1HzhT4hcU
— Shashank Kishore (@captainshanky) January 4, 2017
Half an hour ago, Dhoni was playing FIFA on the playstation with his Jharkhand team-mates, who had no clue about the news.
— Shashank Kishore (@captainshanky) January 4, 2017
Dhoni holds the record for most matches as captain of an international side, with 331 games across formats. His last series as captain came against New Zealand at home, where he led the Indian side to a 3-2 series win.