MS Dhoni steps down as the captain of the Indian ODI and T20I team

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) today announced that Indian limited-overs captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has decided to step down from the position. A Tweet from the BCCI mentioned that MS Dhoni will no longer lead the Indian team in One-Day Internationals (ODIs) as well as Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is). This before the Indian team for the home series against England is scheduled to be announced on January 6.

However, the board also clarified that he will be available for selection for the England series. BCCI CEO Rahul Johri in BCCI’s press release stated: “Mahendra Singh Dhoni has informed the BCCI, that he wishes to step down as the captain of the Indian Cricket Team from the One Day Internationals and the T20 Internationals formats of the game. He will be available for the selection for the Paytm One Day Trophy and Paytm T20I Trophy against England and the same has been conveyed to the Senior Selection Committee.”

“On behalf of every Indian cricket fan and the BCCI, I would like to thank M.S. 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.”

The selection panel will now appoint the new captain of the limited-overs team when they sit down to pick the squad for series against England. Test skipper Virat Kohli in all likelihood will take over the reigns from his predecessor like he did in the longest format.

MS Dhoni led the Indian team in 199 ODIs and 72 T20Is a record in itself. With that, his captaincy tenure of 331 matches also comes to an end. He took over the captaincy of the team in 2007 and has stepped down after almost a decade in 2017.

NEWS ALERT – Mahendra Singh #Dhoni steps down as #Captain of #TeamIndia. He will be available for selection for ODIs & T20Is vs England pic.twitter.com/2xM0eisdjq

— BCCI (@BCCI) January 4, 2017