End of an Era - Mahi steps down as India captain in ODI's & T20I's

Mahendra Singh Dhoni dropped a bombshell on the cricketing fraternity by announcing that he was stepping down as India captain from the shorter formats of the game with immediate effect. It was a typical Dhoni decision; which catches everyone on the outside off their guard but one which he probably has taken time to think over in his head numerous times. He has taken the decision at an opportune time giving Kohli ample time to ready the troops for the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup to be held in England.

The rise of Indian test team under Virat Kohli means that Indian cricket team will not be thrown in turmoil following this decision while it will also allow Virat to captain while he has MSD on the field to help him out during periods when the going gets tough. Dhoni was also not the same free flowing batsman in the last couple of years as his performances in front of the wicket dipped and he struggled to kill games off as he did earlier with aplomb. With the burden of captaincy off him, we might be lucky enough to witness the most destructive of phase Dhoni yet. He is still the quickest behind the wickets and his speed is something that I am amazed at so that is not a problem at all.

He gave this Indian team it's spine and belief, brought glory to the country's shores and played in a way that was the best for the team. It was under him that the Indian cricketers shed the mentality of going for personal glory rather then putting India first. He has been a pioneer with his captaincy and out of the box decisions which left most cricket pundits scratching their heads in disbelief. He never shied to take tough decisions but was also considerate and understanding so as to give full backing to a player he thought deserved more.

He is, without any doubt the greatest captain India has ever produced and India were lucky to have a guy with such temperament and tactical nous to lead them at a time when stalwarts like Sachin, Ganguly, Kumble, Dravid and Laxman bid good-bye to Indian cricket. I hope that he shines brighter then he has ever shone just like the candle which spreads the most light when on it's last breath!!