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Updated: December 31, 2014 01:05 IST
Dhoni retires from Test cricket
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Cites strain of playing all formats; Virat Kohli to captain India for fourth and final Test against Australia in Sydney
Mahendra Singh Dhoni has retired from Test cricket after the third Test between India and Australia concluded in a draw at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Tuesday.
The Indian captain’s battling unbeaten 24 played a key role in his side saving the Test.
Dhoni’s decision came as a surprise since there is one more Test remaining in the series. He did not make the announcement at his post-match press conference.
Even as the correspondents were typing their reports, the bombshell came from the BCCI.
The Board said: “M.S. Dhoni has chosen to retire from Test cricket with immediate effect in order to concentrate on the ODI and Twenty20 formats. One of India’s greatest Test captains under whose leadership India became the No. 1 team in the Test Rankings, Dhoni has decided to retire from Test cricket citing the strain of playing all formats of Cricket.”
Virat Kohli will lead India in the final Test beginning in Sydney on January 6. Australia has already regained the Border-Gavaskar Trophy with a 2-0 lead.
The 33-year-old Dhoni led India in 60 Tests and has the most number of victories (27) by an Indian captain. He took over from Anil Kumble in 2008. Under his leadership, India reached a historic No. 1 Test ranking in December 2009, a position it held for 18 months.
Known for his calm mind, Dhoni captained India to three premier ICC titles, the No. 1 Test spot, the ICC World Twenty20 in 2007 and the ICC ODI World Cup in 2011.
An often explosive middle-order batsman, the wristy Dhoni made 4,876 runs in 90 Tests at 38.09. As a largely safe if not flamboyant wicket-keeper for the most part, he held 256 catches and effected 38 stumpings.
Remarkably, he shouldered the daunting workload of being a wicketkeeper batsman and a captain longer than any other cricketer in the game’s history.
Since 2011, however, India suffered several setbacks away from home under his captaincy. In this period, India lost 13 of the 22 Tests it played on foreign soil, winning only two.
With the bat, Dhoni achieved his highest Test score of 224 against Australia in Chennai in 2013.
DHONI RETIRES FROM TEST CRICKET
Was Dhoni right in deciding to quit Test cricket?
Keywords: MS Dhoni retirement, Test cricket
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SLIDESHOW
Australia reclaimed the Border-Gavaskar trophy with a draw in the third test on Tuesday.
SLIDESHOW
Virender Sehwag, Zaheer Khan, Gautam Gambhir, Harbhajan Singh and the man-of-the-series in the 2011 World Cup Yuvraj Singh have not been included.
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“MS Dhoni has chosen to retire from Test Cricket with immediate effect,” the BCCI posted on its Twitter feed.
The news was announced shortly after the 33-year-old wicket-keeper batsman had led India to a draw in the third Test against Australia in Melbourne. The result meant Australia won the series and regained the Border-Gavaskar trophy. Virat Kohli will take over the captaincy for the fourth and final Test, which begins in Sydney on 6 January, with India trailing 2-0 in the series.
The BCCI secretary Sanjay Patel paid tribute to Dhoni, who made his 90th and now final Test appearance in Melbourne. “One of India’s greatest Test captains under whose leadership India became the No1 team in the Test rankings, MS Dhoni has decided to retire from Test cricket citing the strain of playing all formats of cricket,” Patel said in a statement released by the BCCI.
“MS Dhoni has chosen to retire from Test cricket with immediate effect in order to concentrate on ODI and T20 formats. [The] BCCI, while respecting the decision of MS Dhoni to retire from Test cricket, wishes to thank him for his enormous contribution to Test cricket and the laurels that he has brought to India.
Despite the news of MS Dhoni's retirement from Test cricket coming out of the blue following the end of the MCG Test, BCCI secretary Sanjay Patel said it wasn't a decision the India captain had made in haste.
Patel revealed Dhoni phoned him soon after the conclusion of the drawn Test in Melbourne to convey the news. "MS is a very practical man. Today, he called up just after the Test match in Melbourne and told me that he wanted to retire from Test cricket," Patel told PTI. "I asked him, 'What happened are you injured or what?' He just calmly told me, 'No, I just want to quit Test cricket for good.' He is an Indian captain and a distinguished cricketer. It's his personal choice and I needed to respect that.
"I asked him, 'Is it your final decision,' and he told me, 'Please wait a bit as I want to inform the boys about my decision and then you can make an official announcement.' He duly called up and told me that I have informed the boys and you can go ahead. In the meanwhile, I also contacted chairman of selectors Sandeep (Patil) and Shivlal Yadav. Both felt that we should respect Dhoni's decision.
"I was a bit taken aback by the suddenness of his statement. But we had spoken about it before the Test also. Now what transpired between us is an internal matter but I can tell you that it wasn't a decision taken in haste. It was done after due deliberations."
When asked whether Dhoni was emotional during the phone conversation, Patel said, "I didn't feel that. But someone, who was present in the dressing room told me that he (Dhoni) was a bit emotional while announcing his decision. He has given fantastic service to Indian cricket and the BCCI has always believed that retirement is any player's personal choice.
"You have to understand that Dhoni knows the rigours that his body has taken in Test cricket more than anyone else. But there isn't a single murmur about his leadership in the shorter formats. There is no question of any change in that regard.
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