MSD has made a big sacrifice for Virat Kohli, says Chetan Chauhan

“He is an elegant and calculative captain. He was fit enough to play for India till the next 50-overs World Cup. Well, now that he has quit, Dhoni has set the platform for Virat Kohli to take over,” Chauhan told PTI news agency.

Dhoni is the only Indian to have led the country to title success in ODI World Cup, World Twenty20 and the Champions Trophy. Wicket-keeper Daljit Singh, the former first-class cricketer turned curator, was all praise for the small town boy’s remarkable achievement.

“He is a phenomenal success story. Being from a small town like Ranchi and then leading the country, is a great achievement,” Daljit told PTI.

“Dhoni is a perfect athlete with a good cricketing mind. He has gone with grace as a captain. All credit goes to him. He is still good behind the wicket and hardly misses anything.”

Dhoni’s close friend and manager Arun Pandey provided insight into the former skipper’s decision.

He is not someone who would cling on to something.

“It was a well thought out decision,” Pandey said. “You don’t take decision like this overnight. It was well thought out. Dhoni thought this was the right time to step aside and continue playing as wicketkeeper-batsman.

“His thinking was that he has built the crux of the team now (for future and next World Cup) and it is the right time to give up captaincy. He is not someone who would cling on to something. For him, the team’s interests are first and foremost.

“Dhoni is beyond all this. A chunk of current cricketers playing for India blossomed under Dhoni. Now he thinks it is the right time to step aside for the larger interest of the team. Not many would do that but Dhoni has done that. It has always been India first for him.”