Dhoni retires from test cricket

No one can match Mahendra Singh Dhoni in his ability to hit the headlines. And he has shown that once again. Just from nowhere Mahendra Singh Dhoni has hit the headlines. And like every time he has surprised us. This time it may better be termed as a shock for in the wildest of dreams no Indian could see news like this coming at this time. The big news is that Mahendra Singh Dhoni has decided to call it a day in test match cricket.

Dhoni and Smith after declaring Draw [Source: AP]

It is learnt from a BCCI statement that Mahendra Singh Dhoni has decided to put up his gloves in the longer format of game and for that he has cited the reason of too much strain that has been caused to his body for playing so many matches in three formats of the game. The BCCI said, “One of India’s greatest test captains… MS Dhoni has decided to retire from Test Cricket citing the strain of playing all formats of Cricket. MS Dhoni has chosen to retire from Test Cricket with immediate effect in order to concentrate on ODI and T20 formats. 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.”

[Image Source: Getty Images]

This decision surely now leads to number of questions. Obviously there is no doubt about the fact that the baton of captaincy will be handed over to Virat Kohli but questions can be raised regarding the timing of such a decision. First of all India has got a very inexperienced batting line up. Only Virat Kohli has come to Australia previously and without Dhoni’s presence in the lower middle order India’s batting is bound to be weakened. We all know what happened in Adelaide, how India lost the match with less than 100 runs needed to win. Perhaps had MS Dhoni been there it could have been different. Also such a decision might just throw a light on the dressing room atmosphere. We never know few unwanted incidents might just have triggered such a decision. Well there will be speculations; there will be controversies because it’s not that he has been performing very poorly. In England he was one of the very few batsmen who faced the maximum number of deliveries. Even in just finished test match at the MCG he played a sensible innings to save the test match for India. Yes questions have been raised regarding his captaincy methods away from home but Dhoni is known to be a man who doesn’t succumb to such issues.

Anyway it’s his decision. May be one day we will be able to know the actual reason for it just can never be the strain of playing in all three formats that have forced Dhoni to take such a decision. For the real truth we have to wait. Before that all we can say it that- Thank You Mahendra Singh Dhoni for the 90 test matches that you have played and the runs that you have scored for India (4876 of those). 256 catches and 38 stumpings that have been written beside your name are there to stay for a long time. Also the feat of taking India to the top spot in the ranking of the test playing nations is something that will keep you in the golden frames of Indian cricket forver.

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About Argha Ghosh

An ardent follower of sports and die-hard Manchester United fan, Argha's ultimate dream is to watch a Manchester derby from the Stretford End at the Old Trafford.