Former India team manager Ratnakar Shetty has revealed that both Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid insisted on the name of MS Dhoni to take over as the India captain back in 2007. Shetty, who was serving as the team manager in 2007 has revealed it in his book ‘On Board: Test, Trial & Triumph'. Dravid, who led Team India to a historic 1-0 Test series win against England, shockingly submitted his captaincy resignation to then Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) President Sharad Pawar. While the resignation was accepted, Dravid was asked to suggest the next captain.
Shetty was the center of all the activities back in 2007, which turned out to be a mixed year of Indian cricket. Losing to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka saw the team get knocked out of the ODI World Cup, but the team triumphed in the inaugural T20 World Cup later that year under Dhoni's captaincy. Shetty's book reveals that board president Pawar sought suggestions from both Dravid and Tendulkar. They both suggested Dhoni as the ideal name to lead the team, a decision not many will regret as Dhoni went on to become one of India's most successful captains ever.
2007-08 was nothing short of a transition period for Team India as the likes of Sourav Ganguly, Dravid were dropped from ODI squads while Anil Kumble was given the helms of the Test team. Master of finishing the game, Dhoni was soon a hit in the Indian cricketing fraternity with T20 World Cup success followed by Commonwealth Bank series win in Australia in March 2008. The highest peak of Dhoni's captaincy was reached in 2011 when India won the ODI World Cup in 2011.
Dhoni was part of the Indian team in the 2007 ODI World Cup, where the team failed miserably. This is what prompted the BCCI to take harsh decisions during Shetty's tenure. Dhoni went on to become a success story as a skipper, while the likes of Ganguly, Kumble retired in 2008, after which Dhoni was also handed the Test captaincy. Although Dravid featured only in Tests until his retirement in 2012, Tendulkar was a prominent member of the ODI squad.
Now retired, Dhoni ended his illustrious tenure by winning all ICC honours in his trophy cabinet. He won the Champions Trophy in 2013, which was the icing on the cake. He also won the Indian Premier League (IPL) on four occasions and is still going well at an age of 40.
