Indian captain MS Dhoni has retired from Test cricket, meaning his combative deputy Virat Kohli will lead the team in Sydney.
The announcement was as bizarre as it was stunning, Dhoni giving no hint of his plan an hour earlier in his post-game media conference.
The BCCI released a statement in the wake of Tuesday’s Boxing Day Test draw, a result that meant Australia reclaimed the Border-Gavaskar trophy.
The BCCI said Dhoni was retiring from Test cricket immediately, citing “the strain of playing all formats of cricket”.
The statement added that Dhoni would concentrate on the one-day and T20 formats.
“While respecting the decision of MS Dhoni to retire from Test cricket, (the BCCI) wishes to thank him for his enormous contribution to Test cricket and the laurels that he has brought to India,” the governing body said.
Dhoni’s resignation will send a shockwave through cricket-mad India.
He was rated by Forbes earlier this year as the fifth-richest sportsman in the world.
Dhoni, who missed the first Test in Adelaide, had come under increasing scrutiny for his leadership in the Brisbane loss and the Melbourne draw.
Commentator Ian Chappell savaged him and former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly had also speculated whether it was time for Dhoni to give up the Test captaincy.
When he pulled out of the opening Test in Adelaide because of injury, it prompted speculation that the real reason was to help his preparations for February’s World Cup.
But the widespread belief was that any decision on Dhoni’s future as Test captain would be made after the series ended in Sydney.
India played their best cricket so far on this tour when Kohli led them in Adelaide.
Dhoni is one of Indian cricket’s greatest captains, leading them to the 2011 one-day World Cup.
Under his captaincy, India also became the No.1-ranked Test nation for the first time in 2009.
Another highlight of his reign was last year, when India whitewashed Australia in a Test series for the first time in 40 years.
While Ganguly said Dhoni’s record as a one-day captain was outstanding, he wondered whether the wicketkeeper was still able to bring the best out of his Test teammates.
“It’s not just these two matches, its for a while now (that Dhoni has struggled),” Ganguly said.
“He just hasn’t really got the team going at Test match level.
“The record he has in one-day cricket, he’s a good captain.
“But in Test conditions overseas, it’s just fallen away a bit.”
MS DHONI’S CAPTAINCY
* Test captain 2008-2014
* 60 Tests, 27 wins, 18 losses, 15 draws
* India the No.1 Test nation for the first time in 2009
* Led India to the 2011 World Cup title
* India whitewashed Australia in a Test series last year for the first time in 40 years
* Led India to Border-Gavaskar series wins in 2008, ’10 and ’13.
TEST RECORD
*90 Tests
*4876 runs at 38.09. Highest score: 224
*256 catches; 38 stumpings
