MS Dhoni’s retirement mystery
Dhoni quit after the MCG Test.
It’s been just over eight months since MS Dhoni shocked the cricketing world by abruptly announcing his retirement from Test cricket through a press-release, minutes after helping India draw the Boxing Day Test at the MCG. The real cause behind the shock announcement has been mired by conspiracy theories and a lot of unsolicited speculation — mainly because the man himself has never dwelt on it. Team Director Ravi Shastri was at the helm of affairs back then like he is now. And on Thursday, on the eve of the third Test at the SSC ground, Shastri defended Dhoni’s decision, even lauding him for it. Incidentally the question posed to him was about how he saw the transfer of power from Dhoni to the incumbent Virat Kohli.
“I think that was one of the reasons why MS decided to quit. You know he realised that there are three formats of the game. It is becoming hard for him. But at the same time he knew there was someone ready,” he said.
Ravi Shastri slashes hard at reports of rift between MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli
I used to work hard even when Dhoni was playing Tests : Wriddhiman Saha
Virat Kohli will definitely be an aggressive captain, says Mitchell Johnson
M S Dhoni can play on till 2019, says BCCI secretary Sanjay Patel
EXCLUSIVE: Ravi Shastri-Virat Kohli axis didn’t exactly hold Mahendra Singh Dhoni back
Six overseas series loss on the trot, maybe MS Dhoni's retirement was a bit overdue
“Now if you think back, you will know why he made that decision. It was a good decision because it was clear in everyone’s mind, across the media, that this is your future captain and let him captain in that last Test match in Australia so that all speculation goes to rest,” Shastri added.
According to Shastri, since India weren’t scheduled to play Tests for a longish while after the SCG Test, there would have been a lot of unnecessary speculation regarding the identity of Dhoni’s successor. As it turned out, Kohli was immediately named the new Test captain, and earlier this week he even recorded his first Test win.
“Because India weren’t playing [a Test] for another six-seven months, so that speculation of who is going to captain? You know the obvious choice was Virat but by announcing his retirement, he made it clear that I believe this guy is ready and he needs a run,” he said.
