Mahendra Singh Dhoni has stepped down as India’s limited-overs captain. The news comes just two days before the squad announcement for the ODI and T20I series against England, which starts from January 15. He will, however, be available for selection for both series.
Although, the next captain hasn’t been announced, but the current Test skipper Virat Kohli – in all likelihood – will take over from him.
“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,” Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said in a release.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni, India’s most successful captain across all formats, relinquished the Test captaincy in December 2014, when he retired from the format after the Boxing Day Test against Australia. He then continued to lead India in ODIs and T20Is.
Under Dhoni, India won the inaugural edition of the 2007 World T20, ICC World Cup 2011 and the Champions Trophy 2013. In the 2015 World Cup, India won seven matches in a row on their road to semi-finals and in the 2016 World T20 at home, they reached the last four.
Apart from this, India also registered some famous series wins under Dhoni, both at home and abroad. The list follows:
–> Commonwealth Bank Series Win In 2008
–> Asia Cup Wins (2010, 2016)
–> Defeated New Zealand in New Zealand (2009)
–> Whitewashed Australia in Australia (T20s in 2016)
In total, Dhoni captained India in 199 ODIs, out of which the Men in Blue won 110 and lost 74. He also led India in 72 T20Is, of which they won 41 and lost 28.
“On the behalf of every Indian cricket fan and the BCCI, I would like to thank MS Dhoni for his outstanding contribution as the captain of the Indian team across all formats,” BCCI Chief Executive Rahul Johri said.
“Under his leadership, Indian team has touched new heights and his achievements will remain etched forever in the annals of Indian cricket.”
His last ODI series as a captain came against New Zealand, which India won 3-2. In T20Is, the Zimbabwe series in 2016, which India won 2-1, was his last as the skipper.
