We met during practice

Jatin Paranjape told in ‘The Great Indian Cricket Show’ that he and MSK Prasad had done a lot of preparation to give this message to Dhoni. Recalling that moment, he said, ‘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 this in the most respectful way. Then we went to her and said, ‘Mahi, I think now is the right time to move forward.’

How was Dhoni’s reaction?

Bitterness is often seen in the decisions of leaving the captaincy, but Dhoni accepted it very easily. According to Paranjape, Dhoni told MSK Prasad, ‘Anna, this is absolutely the right decision. Tell me what you want from me. Then MSK told him that you have to give in writing that you are ready to move forward (relinquish the captaincy). Mahi immediately agreed and said, ‘Okay, I will do it.’

That historic email came at midnight

Late the same day, the selectors received Dhoni’s official email, in which he had expressed his desire to step down from the captaincy. Paranjape told that he was criticized a lot for this decision, but it was necessary to take this tough decision to prepare the future team and Virat Kohli. Dhoni had made it clear that as a player he would fully support the new captain Virat Kohli.

Beginning of Kohli era and Dhoni’s support

This decision of Dhoni cleared the way for Virat Kohli to captain all three formats. Dhoni then played the role of a senior player and guide in the team till the 2019 World Cup.