MSK Prasad admits MS Dhoni showed perfect timing with his decision to give up captaincy

What’s the Story?

Chairman of selectors MSK Prasad is not worried after MS Dhoni announced he was stepping down from limited-overs captaincy. He believes that the “correct decision” was made by Dhoni and that he will be of great help to Virat Kohli, who looks set to take over in the shorter formats.

The decision was made during tea on day four of the Ranji Trophy semi-final between Gujarat and Jharkhand when MS Dhoni had a long conversation with MSK Prasad. Speaking about the meeting with Dhoni where the 35-year-old said “Ok, that’s it”, Prasad admitted he would have been worried had the decision been made earlier but saluted Dhoni for his perfect timing and the minimal fuss with which he announced his decision to give up captaincy.

“Had Mahi taken the decision one year or even six months earlier, I would have been a bit worried. But I salute him for his sense of perfect timing. He knew that Virat is now a proven customer who has done exceptionally well as a leader in Test. So it is a correct decision by Dhoni. It showed that he had the best interest of Indian cricket in his mind,” Prasad said.

Extra Cover: Who Said What: World reacts to MS Dhoni stepping down from ODI and T20I captaincy

In case you did not know...

MS Dhoni caused a flutter once again as he stumped everyone by announcing that he was stepping down from limited-overs captaincy but the chairman of selectors believes that the 35-year-old have a couple of years of international cricket left in Dhoni.

The decision certainly came as a shock to many as Dhoni was mentoring Jharkhand during the Ranji Trophy semi-final in Nagpur that they lost. He was seen giving advice to the youngsters in the side including former India U-19 captain Ishan Kishan and also having some batting practice.

The heart of the matter

MS Dhoni’s decision came as a surprise to many but the chairman of selectors not only believes that the timing was right but also spoke about the advantage Virat Kohli will have now that Dhoni will continue to play both ODIs and T20Is.

Although MSK admitted that both Dhoni and Virat are completely different personalities on the pitch but he believes that their intensity and desire to win matches for India are both the same. And he was also quick to add that Dhoni’s performance as a captain and batsmen had no correlation.

What next?

It will certainly be interesting to see what happens in the upcoming ODI and T20I series against England as India will have a new captain at the helm. With the squad for the series being selected on Friday, how India perform will be interesting to notice.

Sportskeeda’s take

Although Dhoni’s form had taken a dip in 2016, there can be little denying his quality on the pitch. His decision to step down from captaincy only indicates that he is unsure about whether he will take part in the 2019 World Cup but the selectors’ faith in him and his ineluctable quality is sure to come through.