‘Dhoni Was Asked To Step Down,’ Alleges Bihar Cricket Association Secretary Aditya Verma

Not long ago, Mahendra Singh Dhoni stepped down as the Indian Skipper for the limited overs format and left the entire nation heartbroken. While stalwarts of the field like Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid congratulated Mahi on his decision to let Virat Kohli lead the baton, Virat confessed that MS Dhoni will always be his captain. But the debate doesn’t rest.

According to a report in TOI, Aditya Verma, Bihar Cricket Association Secretary, has alleged that Dhoni didn’t voluntarily give up his responsibilities but was pressurised by BBCI joint Secretary, Amitabh Choudhary.

Speculations are rife that Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) made the announcement now but the process to hand over the captaincy to Test skipper Kohli initiated back in September, last year when the selection committee was set up.

 

Vouching ‘concrete sources’ Verma claims that Choudhary phoned BCCI’s chief selector MSK Prasad and expressed dissent after Jharkhand lost to Gujarat in the Ranji Trophy under Dhoni’s mentorship.

“Choudhary then telephoned MSK Prasad and instructed the latter to ask the cricketer about his future plans. Dhoni was hurt with the whole episode and sent across his resignation soon after.”

 

Apparently, the committee Chairman, MSK Prasad had met Dhoni in Nagpur during the Ranji Trophy semifinal, sat him down and explained why Kohli should take over the reigns. Later when the announcement was made, Prasad said,

“I salute him for his sense of perfect timing. He knew that Virat (Kohli) is now a proven customer who has done exceptionally well as a leader in Tests.”

 

However, Prasad now has rubbished the reports has said there is no truth to any of them. Speaking to CricketNext, he was quoted saying,

“There was no pressure on Dhoni to resign from captaincy. It was his personal decision. He informed me during the Ranji Trophy semi-final between Jharkhand and Gujarat in Nagpur.”

As much as gripping the entire episode is, only time will tell the truth!

News Source: Times of India, News18

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