In a shocking move, Mahendra Singh Dhoni has stepped down as the captain of the Indian cricket team, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed.
"Dhoni has informed the BCCI, that he wishes to step down as the captain of the Indian Cricket Team from the One Day Internationals and the T20 Internationals formats of the game," a BCCI press release said.
The 35-year-old, however, will remain available for selection for the upcoming ODI and T20 series against England and the same has been conveyed to the Senior Selection Committee.
Hailing Dhoni's outstanding contribution as the captain of the Indian team, Rahul Johri, Chief Executive Officer of the BCCI said, "On the behalf of every Indian cricket fan and the BCCI, I would like to thank MS Dhoni for his outstanding contribution as the captain of the Indian team across all formats. Under his leadership, Indian team has touched new heights and his achievements will remain etched forever in the annals of Indian cricket."
Dhoni has achieved unprecedented success as a limited-overs captain, guiding India to glory in the World T20 in 2007, the ICC World Cup in 2011 and the Champions Trophy 2013.
Although he relinquished Test captaincy and retired from the longest form of the game in 2014, he continued to lead the side in limited overs.
Dhoni, who currently holds the record for most matches as captain of an international side with 331 games across formats, played his last series as captain against New Zealand at home, where he led the Indian side to a 3-2 series win.
India is slated to play three-match ODI series and three-match T20 series beginning January 15 at the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) Stadium.
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