Dhoni Didn't Quit on His Own, He Was Asked by Selectors to Relinquish Captaincy: Report

On January 4, the Indian cricket board announced that Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni had decided to step down as the skipper of the one-day and Twnty20 teams. The board also said that Dhoni would, however, continue playing cricket for the country.

This came as a 'bombshell' announcement for the fans of the double world cup-winning skipper. But, a report now suggests that the decision was not taken by Dhoni but he was asked by the selectors to relinquish captaincy.

Hindustan Times quoted sources in the BCCI who confirmed that selection committee chairman MSK Prasad had conveyed the message to quit as captain to Dhoni in Nagpur during the Ranji Trophy semifinal between Jharkhand, Dhoni’s home state, and Gujarat.

The report also states that the process to hand over the captaincy to Test skipper Virat Kohli was set in motion as early as September. The report says that the setting up of the new selection committee on September 21 was the starting point in this regard.

As things moved quickly, Dhoni conveyed his decision to quit as the limited-overs captain to the BCCI on January 4 before the announcement was made, the report states.