INDIA: CRICKET - Indian selectors name wicketkeeper batsman Mahendra Singh Dhoni as captain of the one-day side, after Rahul Dravid quit the job last week

Record ID: 1375084

  • Title: INDIA: CRICKET - Indian selectors name wicketkeeper batsman Mahendra Singh Dhoni as captain of the one-day side, after Rahul Dravid quit the job last week
  • Date: 19th September 2007
  • Summary: RANCHI, INDIA (SEPTEMBER 18, 2007) (ANI) DHONI'S FANS CELEBRATING ON STREETS (SOUNDBITE) (Hindi) MADHU KODA, CHIEF OF INDIA'S EASTERN JHARKHAND STATE, SAYING: "It is a matter of pride for all of us that a son of this soil has become the captain of the national cricket team. We are very happy and I would like to congratulate him on behalf of the entire state."
  • Embargoed: 4th October 2007 09:58
  • Keywords:
  • Location: India
  • Country: India
  • Topics: Sport
  • Reuters ID: LVAAUHBMVV00K3DFX6AAQ9FNTEUH
  • Aspect Ratio: 4:3
  • Story Text: Indian selectors name wicketkeeper batsman Mahendra Singh Dhoni as captain of the one-day side, after Rahul Dravid quit the job last week.
    Indian selectors appointed wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni as one-day captain on Tuesday (September 18) after Rahul Dravid abruptly quit the job last week, marking a generation change in the team's leadership.
    "He is one of the best players that we have at the moment. We discussed a few other players also, but Dhoni, we thought, was the best man for the job," chief selector Dilip Vengsarkar told reporters after the meeting.
    "We did not offer anybody (else) the captaincy at all," he added, dismissing speculations that senior batsman Sachin Tendulkar was offered the job on Monday.
    The selectors also named the 15-man squad for the first three games.
    India also play five one-dayers followed by three tests against visiting Pakistan.
    Dhoni holds the record for the highest one-day score by a wicketkeeper at 183 not out. He was Dravid's deputy in the one-day series in England, which the hosts won 4-3.
    Dhoni's appointment marks a leadership switch towards younger players as three former skippers Tendulkar, Dravid and Saurav Ganguly, all into their 30s, inch closer to retirement after sharing the job for about a decade.
    Chief selector Dilip Vengsarkar said Dravid's exit took the selectors by surprise but denied his relationship with the batsman had soured.
    He said the selectors would watch Dhoni's captaincy in the 12 one-dayers before deciding whether to retain him or pick a senior player for the test series.
    The selectors recalled off-spinner Harbhajan Singh and pacer Irfan Pathan into the side after they were dropped following the shock World Cup first round exit in March.
    Squad: Mahendra Dhoni (captain), Yuvraj Singh (vice-captain), Saurav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Dinesh Karthik, Gautam Gambhir, Robin Uthappa, Irfan Pathan, Romesh Pawar, Piyush Chawla, Rudra Pratap Singh, Zaheer Khan, Shanthakumaran Sreesanth, Harbhajan Singh.
  • Copyright Holder: ANI (India)
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