Dhoni is India’s most successful Test captain as the team have won 27 out of the 60 Tests they played during his tenure

Image courtesy of: ESPNcricinfo

India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni shocked the cricketing world by announcing his retirement from Test cricket following the third Test against Australia, which ended as a draw.

Dhoni, who took over as captain in 2008, did not mention or even hint that he was considering hanging up his boots during the press conference at the end of the match.

Instead, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) broke the news via a press release later on that day.

According to the statement released by the BCCI, Dhoni decided to quit Test cricket due to “the strain of playing all formats”.

“One of India’s greatest Test captains under whose leadership India became the No. 1 team in the test rankings, MS Dhoni, has decided to retire from Test cricket citing the strain of playing all formats of cricket,” the board said. “BCCI, while respecting the decision of MS Dhoni to retire from Test cricket, wishes to thank him for his enormous contribution to Test cricket and the laurels that he has brought to India. Virat Kohli will be the captain of the Indian team for the fourth and final Test against Australia to be played in Sydney.”