MS Dhoni steps down as Indian Captain

Advertisement

Kathmandu : 35 year old indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has stepped down as India's limited-overs  ahead of the ODI series against England, which begins on 15 January. The news came as a surprise because Dhoni is training with Jharkhand team in Nagpur, where his sate team was playing the Ranji Trophy semifinal against Gujarat.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said in a tweet that Dhoni will, however, be available for selection for one-day internationals and Twenty20 matches against England this month as a player. Dhoni will be available for selection for the One Day and T20I series against England that starts in Pune on January 15 . The senior national selectors will pick the squad on Friday. He is likely to retain his place as a keeper-batsman.

Rahul Johri, the BCCI's CEO, said: "On the behalf of every Indian cricket fan and the BCCI, I would like to thank Dhoni for his outstanding contribution as the captain of the Indian team across all formats.' “Under his leadership, Indian team has touched new heights and his achievements will remain etched forever in the annals of Indian cricket.”

After Ricky Ponting and Stephen Fleming, Mahendra Singh Dhoni has played the third highest number of ODIs as skipper of the Indian cricket team. Dhoni has captained India in a record 199 ODIs, the most by any Indian. MS Dhoni is the only captain to have won all the three major ICC limited-over tournaments (ICC World Cup, ICC Champions Trophy, ICC World T20)