I was a bit taken aback by the suddenness of MS Dhoni's retirement: BCCI Secretary

BCCI Secretary, Sanjay Patel, clarified that MS Dhoni's decision to retire from Test cricket with immediate effect 'wasn't taken in haste' and that it had come after a lot of 'soul searching and deliberations'. Although Patel, did not divulge the details of Dhoni's discussions with the Board, he admitted that he knew that the Indian captain had wanted to quit one of the formats in order to concentrate on the remaining two formats

"MS is a very practical man. Today, he called up just after the Test match in Melbourne and told me that he wanted to retire from Test cricket. I asked him if he was injured. He calmly told me that he wanted to quit Test cricket for good. He is an Indian captain and a distinguished cricketer. It is his personal choice and I needed to respect that," Patel was quoted as saying.

"I asked him if it was his final decision and he told me to wait a bit as he wanted to inform the team about his decision before me making an official announcement. He duly called up and told me that he had informed the boys and that I could go ahead. In the meanwhile, I contacted chairman of selectors Sandeep Patil and Shivlal Yadav. Both felt that we should respect Dhoni's decision," the BCCI Secretary said revealing the events that unfolded.

"I was a bit taken aback by the suddenness of his statement. But we had spoken about it before the Test also. Now what transpired between us is an internal matter but I can tell you that it wasn't a decision taken in haste. It was done after due deliberations," Patel added.

On being asked if Dhoni was a touch emotional when he intimated about the decision, Patel said, "I didn't feel that. But someone, who was present in the dressing room told me that he (Dhoni) was a bit emotional while announcing his decision. He has given fantastic service to Indian cricket and BCCI has always believed that retirement is any player's personal choice."

Patel, however assured that Dhoni would very much remain the leader in the shorter formats. "You have to understand that Dhoni knows the rigours that his body has taken in Test cricket more than anyone else. But there isn't a single murmur about his leadership in the shorter formats. There is no question of any change in that regard," he signed off.