Mahendra Singh Dhoni was never asked to give up captaincy, clarifies MSK Prasad

MS Dhoni took the cricket fans by surprise as he stepped down as India's limited-overs skipper in January this year ahead of a series against England.

New Delhi: Soon after Mahendra Singh Dhoni stepped down as India's limited-overs skipper earlier this year, speculations were rife that the selectors had asked him to hang up his boots considering Virat Kohli was in sublime form and looked all set to take Indian cricket forward.

However, chief selector MSK Prasad rubbished such reports saying there was no truth behind it.

"There was no pressure on Dhoni to resign from captaincy. It was his personal decision. He informed me during the Ranji Trophy semi-final between Jharkhand and Gujarat in Nagpur," the former India wicket-keeper said.

Prasad hailed Captain Cool's timing adding that his decision to pass over the baton to Kohli didn't come as a surprise.

"Dhoni is an honest man and the decision didn't come as a surprise. It was timed perfectly as Kohli needs enough matches to settle down going into the Champions Trophy. I thank Dhoni for his contribution, but his job doesn't end here and he needs to guide Kohli," he said.

Soon after BCCI announced India's 15-man squad for upcoming Champions Trophy 2017, Prasad hailed Dhoni as the best wicketkeeper in the world.

"How many of us still believe that MSD is still the best wicketkeeper in the world? We all believe he is still the best wicketkeeper in the world. We are only talking and focussing on his batting form," Prasad said.

Prasad comments came after he was asked why Delhi batsman Rishab Pant, who has been in sublime form in the tenth edition of the Indian Premier League, was excluded for the coveted event.

Prasad also said Dhoni's incredible work behind the stumps has gone unnoticed all these years and people only tend to focus on his batting.

"Not many people realise, that in last 10-12 years, Dhoni has never had a bad day with the gloves. We always treat him as a batsman but phenomenal stuff he does behind the wickets, not many people appreciate that. According to me, he is still the best wicketkeeper in world cricket," Prasad added.