MS Dhoni steps down as India’s ODI, T20I captain

Most number of Test wins for India, number 1 ranking in Test cricket, T20 World Cup, Champions Trophy, the World Cup, most number of wins as one-day captain.

Before the start of the 2014 ICC World Twenty20 final against Sri Lanka in Dhaka, Dhoni disclosed how he handled huge pressure as captain of a country that has a billion cricket fans.

Twitter and Facebook erupted in response for quitting as Captain.

With Tendulkar, Dravid and Sourav Ganguly expressing their unwillingness to play in the inaugural ICC Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa in 2007, Dhoni was named the captain. The elated skipper spoke of the team’s plans to celebrate at the hotel later that evening, aside from discussing the events of the match. He has often taken decisions that have left people – national selectors, cricket experts, and fans – baffled and surprised.

Vinit Karnik, business head at ESP Global, the entertainment and sports practices division of GroupM, also believes that Dhoni will remain relevant to his fans, brand marketers and team mates. The other being, his ability to tackle Muttiah Muralitharan’s doosras.

Following India’s elimination from the World T20 in Mumbai in March previous year, Dhoni said he was determined to play on until the 2019 World Cup in England. But the diminutive leader was happily smiling with the trophy at the end of the tournament as Sachin-powered India beat the Australian team which boasted of players like Ricky Ponting, Mathew Hayden, Adam Gilchrist, Brett Lee and Andrew Symonds in a best of three final.

Having been retained for the Pune side in the 2017 instalment of the IPL franchise, it is absolutely certain that we will be able to see Captain Cool at his best. Will Dhoni make it into the squad? Dhoni had a stellar record as the Indian skipper in both the limited over and the T-20 arena. Little did people know that he would go on to become one of the greatest limited overs captains.

Dhoni captained India in 199 One-day Internationals, winning 110 and losing 74, with four ties and 11 no-results.

India secured a thrilling one-run victory against Bangladesh a year ago to keep their campaign alive in the World Twenty20.

MS Dhoni’s batting average as a captain in India’s ODI wins is 70.83. M S Dhoni has earned his name in the hall of fame of cricketers and his greatness lies in the fact that his seniors, juniors and contemporaries all respect and are in awe of his persona.

It’s an important year for the Indian team.

Boy he sure does dislike the media.