Indian team arrives in Sydney but Dhoni speculation continues

Sydney, Dec 31: The Indian cricket team flew in here and largely spent the day indoors even as there was intense speculation over Mahendra Singh Dhoni's decision to quit the Test format with immediate effect, which surprised the cricket fraternity.

A day after the BCCI announced Dhoni's retirement from Test cricket, citing strains of playing in all three formats, the Indian team management chose to remain tight-lipped on the development. Dhoni, who himself did not speak about his retirement in the post-match press conference and the preceding presentation ceremony, travelled with the team but did not interact with the media.

The 33-year old Dhoni's retirement came as a bolt from the blue as the Indian captain had not given any hint about his impending decision although pressure was mounting on him to give up Test captaincy in view of his poor overseas track record. The timing of Dhoni's retirement and the manner in which it was announced has triggered widespread speculation over what could have prompted him to take the decision.

There is speculation that all is not well in the Indian dressing room, which led the captain to quit Test cricket. His decision invited criticism from former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly, who said, "the decision to give up captaincy was right though the decision not to play Test cricket is an incorrect one."

"I would be brutally honest that I am surprised by the decision in the middle of the series. Three Tests are over and it was a question of one more. He could have finished it off," Ganguly added. "None of us know whether this decision in the middle of the series could have happened because of an injury, which would have ruled him out of the next Test. He did come into the series with a finger injury and none of us has an idea whether that had become worse," Ganguly said.

PTI