MSK Prasad, the chairman of the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s selection committee, praised Mahendra Singh Dhoni for his “sense of perfect timing”, referring to the 35-year-old’s decision to give up the Indian limited-overs captaincy, reported PTI on Thursday.
The chairman of selectors also lauded batting talisman Virat Kohl who is the frontrunner to replace Dhoni. “Had Mahi [MS Dhoni] taken the decision one year or even six months earlier, I would have been a bit worried,” said Prasad.
“But I salute him for his sense of perfect timing. He knew that Virat [Kohli] is now a proven customer who has done exceptionally well as a leader in Tests,” Prasad was quoted as saying by PTI.
Dhoni has made himself available for the upcoming One-Day International and Twenty20 International series against England, which gets under way on January 15. Prasad hinted that Dhoni would be a certainty in the side,
“So it is a correct decision by Dhoni. It showed that he had the best interest of Indian cricket in his mind,” said Prasad. “I still feel he has a couple of years of cricket left in him and as a wicketkeeper-batsman, he can still make an invaluable contribution to the team’s cause.”
For the first time, Dhoni will be playing under Kohli’s captaincy. This also means that for the first time since late 2008, India’s former skipper will only be playing as a keeper-batsman, across formats, “Dhoni’s presence will help Kohli as he now captains across three formats. Had he quit, Virat would have missed out on his immense experience,” added Prasad.