MS Dhoni asked to leave white-ball captaincy, ex-India selector Jatin Paranjpe drop bombshell

Former national selector Jatin Paranjpe has spoken about an important conversation in January 2017 that led to MS Dhoni stepping down as India’s limited-overs captain. On January 4, 2017, just before a home series against England, Dhoni decided to give up the ODI and T20I captaincy.

Dhoni remains one of India’s most successful captains. During his time in charge, he won all three major ICC trophies and achieved almost everything a captain could hope for. After retiring from Test cricket in 2014, he focused fully on ODIs and T20Is.

Jatin Paranjpe's reveals why MS Dhoni stepped down as white-ball captain

He led India with full dedication at the 2015 World Cup and the 2016 T20 World Cup, but the team was knocked out in the semi-finals both times. With another 50-over World Cup coming up in England, preparations had already begun, which is something Dhoni often referred to as following the “process.”

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“Mahi was batting. He kept batting for an hour and MSK and I were looking at each other. We had prepared how to tell him most respectfully. So we went to him and said, ‘You know, Mahi, I think it is the right time to move on,’ Paranjape said while speaking on The Great Indian Cricket Show.

“So, he (Dhoni) told MSK, ‘Anna, this is the perfect decision. Let me know what you want from me.’ MSK told him that he will have to put it in writing that you are ready to move on," Paranjape added.

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MS Dhoni's reaction after being asked to step down as captain

Dhoni’s decision to step down cleared the path for Virat Kohli to take complete charge of the team. Kohli was already leading India in Test cricket and had helped the side reach new levels in the longest format. With Dhoni still part of the squad as a senior player, Kohli later went on to captain India at the 2019 World Cup in England.

“He (Dhoni) said, ‘Alright, I will do it.’ Late at night, we received an email: ‘I would like to step down’. We had to make this decision. We were criticised for it as well, but these are the tough decisions that you have to take," Paranjape said.

MS Dhoni's last cricketing outing

Dhoni, who already announced his retirement from all formats of international cricket on August 15, 2020, via an Instagram post but the legendary wicketkeeper batter is still active in the Indian Premier League (IPL), featuring for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK). His IPL outing came in 2025, where he was reappointed as captain midway through the tournament after the regular skipper was ruled out of the cash-rich league