rollingstoned Posted February 15 Posted February 15 BCCI Told MS Dhoni To Quit Captaincy; Former Selector Reveals Shocking Details The "Nagpur Nudge" revealed! A former selector shares how MS Dhoni was told to "move on" from the captaincy in 2017 and his surprisingly graceful response to the news. In 2017, selectors, including Jatin Paranjpe, respectfully nudged MS Dhoni to relinquish white-ball captaincy for Virat Kohli. While the leadership shift from Rohit Sharma to Shubman Gill dominated headlines in 2025, a decade-long mystery regarding the 2017 transition from MS Dhoni to Virat Kohli has finally been unraveled. Stunning new details from former national selector Jatin Paranjpe reveal that the legendary captain didn't just decide to walk away on his own; he was respectfully nudged by the board to make room for Kohli. A Tense One-Hour Wait The decision to move on from India’s most successful white-ball leader took place during a domestic match in Nagpur in January 2017. Paranjpe, appearing on The Great Indian Cricket Show, recalled the anxiety of the moment as he and then-chief selector MSK Prasad watched Dhoni finish a grueling one-hour net session before approaching him. "We had prepared how to tell him in the most respectful way," Paranjpe shared. "So we went to him and said, 'You know, Mahi, I think it's the right time to move on'." Rather than resisting the change, Dhoni’s reaction was immediate and graceful. He referred to Prasad as "Anna" and agreed that the timing was perfect, asking the committee exactly what they needed from him to facilitate the process. The Late-Night Email That Ended an Era To make the transition official and avoid public speculation of a forced removal, the selection committee asked Dhoni to submit his resignation in writing. That same night, the board received a brief, professional email stating: "I would like to step down." The move was met with significant public backlash at the time, but the selectors viewed it as a necessary, albeit difficult, decision to prepare the team for the 2019 World Cup. Dhoni, then 35, had already secured his legacy as the only captain to win the T20 World Cup (2007), the ODI World Cup (2011), and the Champions Trophy (2013). "Virat is Like My Brother": The Promise of Support One of the most revealing aspects of the transition was Dhoni’s immediate commitment to the new leadership. He assured the selectors that there would be no friction between him and the incoming captain. A Mentor’s Vow: Dhoni promised to work completely with Kohli, stating, "He is like my brother. I will do everything that is required for him." Bridging the Gap: He pledged to share his vast tactical experience from behind the stumps to help build a winning white-ball unit. This seamless handover allowed Kohli to lead India with the security of having a senior tactical mind by his side, eventually guiding the team to the semifinals of the 2019 World Cup before Dhoni’s final international appearance in 2020. More than this the way he stepped down in the 2014 was abrupt as hell after the 1st test. IndianRenegade 1
NameGoesHere Posted February 15 Posted February 15 Fugging bait headlines. What’s shocking about it? Kudos to Dhoni if this story is true. Also, nice to know that, fan drivers social media rivalries aside, the system works. Vk1 and Mariyam 2
Tillu Posted February 15 Posted February 15 (edited) Indian captains have always been graceful in their exit and were ready to co operate and play under their deputees unlike Pakistanis. This is what Shaheen said after removing him from captaincy for Babar. "Never ever put me in a position where I have to show you how cruel and ruthless I can be. Don't test my patience. Because I might be the kindest and sweetest person you've ever met, but once I reach my limit, you'll see me do the things that no one thought I was capable of doing." Edited February 15 by Tillu Vk1, Norman, New guy and 1 other 4
Gollum Posted February 15 Posted February 15 (edited) Can't say I am a fan of Thala. But he is a dignified man and has more grace than the rest of the 2000s bunch. Have to praise Sachin for his foresight, when he recommended Dhoni's name as captain for the 2007 WT20, ahead of the likes of Sehwag, Yuvi, Bhajji, GG. More I see these Yuvis, GGs and Bhajjis these days, more it is clear that they are insecure, toxic, petty individuals who never had the maturity to lead the country. Rohit, Kohli, Ashwin, Jaddu, Pujara, Rahana, Vijay, Ishant etc. are so lucky to have been mentored by a guy like MS. Edited February 15 by Gollum BacktoCricaddict, Vk1, GoldenSun and 3 others 6
Norman Posted February 15 Posted February 15 Umm. Am I the only one who is not seeing the "shocking" part BacktoCricaddict 1
deepdynamo Posted February 15 Posted February 15 Why is Dhoni still been discussed in 2026? cricketfan28 1
putrevus Posted February 15 Posted February 15 (edited) He should have been kicked out as captain after 1-13 debacle in all formats. Who quits on the team as a captain and still is hailed as a hero.He hung on too long and now is being portrayed as some sort of selfless guy. He costed India atleast two ICC trophies with his idiotic captaincy. Edited February 15 by putrevus Manucrick 1
Ultimate_Game Posted February 18 Posted February 18 Wish selectors had opted for Rohit instead of Kohli and we wouldn't have had a lost decade without any ICC trophy. Rohit was a much better white-ball captain and deserved to be the LOI captain.
Lord Posted February 18 Posted February 18 On 2/15/2026 at 8:20 AM, deepdynamo said: Why is Dhoni still been discussed in 2026? hey he's still playing IPL. Not completely retired
Lord Posted February 18 Posted February 18 On 2/15/2026 at 7:44 AM, Gollum said: Can't say I am a fan of Thala. But he is a dignified man and has more grace than the rest of the 2000s bunch. Have to praise Sachin for his foresight, when he recommended Dhoni's name as captain for the 2007 WT20, ahead of the likes of Sehwag, Yuvi, Bhajji, GG. More I see these Yuvis, GGs and Bhajjis these days, more it is clear that they are insecure, toxic, petty individuals who never had the maturity to lead the country. Rohit, Kohli, Ashwin, Jaddu, Pujara, Rahana, Vijay, Ishant etc. are so lucky to have been mentored by a guy like MS. Maybe they are insecure because they didn't get captaincy?
Ultimate_Game Posted February 18 Posted February 18 15 hours ago, Lord said: Maybe they are insecure because they didn't get captaincy? Gambhir was the only one who deserved captaincy out of that lot. Lord 1
Lord Posted February 18 Posted February 18 5 minutes ago, Ultimate_Game said: Gambhir was the only one who deserved captaincy out of that lot. At the time he got it (2007-08), Gambhir was still new. Yuvraj and Sehwag were in the race.
Ultimate_Game Posted February 18 Posted February 18 1 hour ago, Lord said: At the time he got it (2007-08), Gambhir was still new. Yuvraj and Sehwag were in the race. Neither were captaincy material. Dhoni didn't have any competition for captaincy as he was far ahead tactically. Gambhir was someone who would've been a wonderful captain but played at the wrong time. Where India messed up was handing over captaincy to Kohli after Dhoni. They should've handed it to Rohit who was pretty shrewd and we could see that in IPL. We wasted some of Rohit's best years by backing Kohli who was never gonna win anything. They could've split the captaincy after 2017 CT and given Rohit white-ball captaincy and Kohli the Test captaincy. Lord and GoldenSun 2
Lord Posted February 18 Posted February 18 4 minutes ago, Ultimate_Game said: Neither were captaincy material. Dhoni didn't have any competition for captaincy as he was far ahead tactically. Gambhir was someone who would've been a wonderful captain but played at the wrong time. Where India messed up was handing over captaincy to Kohli after Dhoni. They should've handed it to Rohit who was pretty shrewd and we could see that in IPL. We wasted some of Rohit's best years by backing Kohli who was never gonna win anything. They could've split the captaincy after 2017 CT and given Rohit white-ball captaincy and Kohli the Test captaincy. Just talking about the sulking part
The Hound Posted February 19 Posted February 19 On 2/15/2026 at 6:50 PM, deepdynamo said: Why is Dhoni still been discussed in 2026? In 2026 , he's giving advice to people winning games for India
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