What’s the story?
Days after MS Dhoni shocked the cricketing world by announcing that he was stepping down as India's limited-overs captain, Bihar Cricket Association secretary Aditya Verma has alleged that Dhoni was under pressure to give up captaincy and it wasn’t of his own volition.
Speaking to TOI, Aditya Verma said: "Choudhary was unhappy with the fact that Jharkhand lost to Gujarat despite being in a commanding position under Dhoni's mentorship. Choudhary then telephoned MSK Prasad and instructed the latter to ask the cricketer about his future plans. Dhoni was hurt with the whole episode and sent across his resignation soon after”.
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In case you didn’t know...
Before the squad for the ODI and T20I series against England was announced, MS Dhoni stepped down from limited-overs captaincy and took the cricket world by surprise. The 35-year-old was replaced by Virat Kohli, who thanked him for his support during the whole process and for saving him from the axe on several occasions.
Dhoni had a long conversation with chairman of selectors MSK Prasad during the Ranji Trophy semi-final between Jharkhand and Gujarat, where the Ranchi-born player was mentoring his home state, who eventually lost out on the opportunity to reach their maiden Ranji final.
The heart of the matter
In a dramatic turn of events, it has now emerged from the words of Verma, who was in Ranchi, that Dhoni’s decision to quit came after BCCI spoke to him about his future plans and the pressure from BCCI joint secretary Amitabh Choudhary, who according to Verma has an axe to grind with Dhoni.
According to Verma, the difference came from the fact that Dhoni refused to play in the semi-final against Gujarat (he was mentoring the team from the sidelines) despite being asked by the Jharkhand State Cricket Association, whose president as of January 2 was Choudhary. And the fact that Jharkhand went on to lose the match despite having an upper hand for large parts of it didn’t go in Dhoni's favour either.
There is as of yet no word from the BCCI joint secretary about his allegation at the time of the writing of this article.
What next?
With India taking part in the limited-overs leg of their series against England starting on January 15, it remains to be seen how the BCCI react to this claim by the BCA secretary. Whether there is any truth to his statements will only be evident after more information emerges from the aftermath of MS Dhoni’s decision to give up limited-overs captaincy.
Sportskeeda’s take
MS Dhoni’s decision to step down has been praised by former players and fans alike. Not only did he make the brave call of giving up the responsibility but also helped Virat Kohli with the transition process. And if this alleged statement by Verma turns out to be true, how his resignation was viewed will take a 360-degree twist.
