We had a brief discussion about removing Dhoni from captaincy: Sandeep Patil

Former chairman of selectors Sandeep Patil on Wednesday revealed stunning details related to MS Dhoni, stating that there were discussions about removing MS Dhoni from captaincy during his tenure but the decision was held back due to imperfect circumstances.

“Of course, we had a brief discussion about it (removing Dhoni from captaincy) on a few occasions. We wanted to experiment by handing the baton (to somebody) but we thought the time was not right with World Cup (2015) round the corner,” Patil told ABP News on Wednesday.

“We felt that new captain should be given some time to set things right. Keeping that in mind in the World Cup, we had gone with Dhoni. I believe Virat got the captaincy at the right time. Virat can lead the team in shorter formats as well but that decision rests with the new selection committee,” said Patil, who completed his term only nine days back.

Patil termed Dhoni’s decision to retire from Tests as “shocking.” Dhoni’s decision to retire came in the middle of an ongoing Test series against Australia Down Under.

The then Test skipper stunned everyone when he announced his retirement from the longest format after the third Test in Melbourne. Virat Kohli, who had captained the side in the first Test, replacing injured Dhoni, took the responsibility in the last Test.

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“It was a very tough series. I won’t say Dhoni was captain of a sinking ship but things quite didn’t move in our favour. And in this backdrop, one of your senior players decides to retire. That was shocking but at the end of the day, it was his (Dhoni’s) personal decision,” he said.

Asked to compare the captaincy of Dhoni and Kohli, the former Mumbai stalwart said that they are poles apart.

“North Pole and South Pole. Every captain has a desire to create his own team and knows the ability of his players.

“Virat is known as the ‘Angry Young Man’ but it’s a controlled aggression. Dhoni keep calm but always spoke his mind. I feel disappointed when I read reports about Dhoni’s relation with Gambhir and Yuvraj. Dhoni never opposed their selection,” said Patil.

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Patil also clarified that there was no truth to the perception that Dhoni was instrumental in getting rid of some of the seniors in the Indian team like Gautam Gambhir and Yuvraj Singh.

“It was completely the selectors’ decision to drop them and Dhoni did not have any say in dropping Gambhir and Yuvraj. Both the captains never opposed any player.”