Could Dhoni have been wiser to stay more?

Introduction

Soon after the India-Australia match was drawn at Melbourne, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the captain, came out with a shocking decision. He declared his retirement from Test cricket. But he will continue playing ODIs and T-20s.

Dhoni has played 90 test matches, out of which he has led India in 60. Under his captaincy, India has won 27 matches and, thus, he has broken the record of Sourav Ganguly (the previous captain).

                                     

Was it right on his part to take this decision so early? Let us have a look.

Yes – A right decision.

1. Responsibility handover – Dhoni is impressed with the performance of Virat Kohli in the Australian series. He thinks Kohli is ready to lead India. And hence, Dhoni decided to handover the captaincy to Kohli.

2. Injury – Dhoni's injury on his elbow was also a reason for his decision to retire. He was unable to give his best. According to BCCI, “Dhoni is not somebody who plays if he feels that he can't give his best shot.”

3. ODI and T20s – Dhoni retired only from Test cricket as he wanted to concentrate more on ODIs and T20 matches.

4. Strain – For the last two months, Dhoni underwent a lot of strain in Australia. He was unable to take more of the Test matches. His recent test records were not much impressive.

5. No recent Test matches – After losing the series against Australia, Dhoni felt it better to retire from Test matches. As there are very few Test matches coming in shortly, he felt this was the right time.

No – He should have played more.

1. Record breaker – Under the captaincy of Sourav Ganguly India had won 21 matches. This was the highest record. But Dhoni broke his record and led India to win 27 matches. He should have stayed back and broken more records.

2. Complete series – Instead of retiring in the middle of a series, he could have completed the series between India and Australia. He could have helped India win the remaining two matches.

3. Impact – Dhoni's sudden retirement in the middle of a series would also have an effect on the players. A sudden change of captaincy may be uncomfortable for the team players.

4. Proved himself – Dhoni's past few performances in the Test matches were not so impressive. He could have played a few more matches to prove himself once again. He could have retired with a lot more glory.

5. Team builder – Dhoni was a good team builder. He took the team to the greatest heights. He could have played more and encouraged his team.

Conclusion

Dhoni's retirement from the Test matches gave a shock to many. But according to the BCCI, he had started giving the hints from past few months. Cricketers and BCCI congratulated the skipper for his contributions to team India.