Mahendra Singh Dhoni Knew Virat Kohli Was Ready: Sunil Gavaskar

Sunil Gavaskar has said he was not surprised by Mahendra Singh Dhoni's decision to retire from Test cricket. Dhoni announced his retirement after India drew the third Test at the MCG on Tuesday.

Gavaskar disagreed with critics who slammed that Dhoni had deserted a sinking ship. Speaking to NDTV, Gavaskar said: "I don't agree with this view. I have been a captain and there is a time when the burden becomes just too much and you think the next man will do a better job. It may not be tactically, but the next captain may have better luck."

Gavaskar said: "Dhoni knew Virat Kohli was ready to step in and therefore his decision is not surprising." Kohli had led India in the first Test at Adelaide and will now be the official captain in the fourth, starting in Sydney on January 6.

"The burden on him grew over the last two-three days in Melbourne. Had India won at MCG, Dhoni would have been in a better frame of mind to resign after the Sydney Test," said Gavaskar, adding Dhoni was a "supremely content person". (Kohli Sledges his Way Past Tendulkar, Lara)

Earlier this week, former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly called for a change in guard in Test captaincy after India lost in Adelaide and Brisbane. Kohli, Ganguly said, was the obvious choice given form and the ability to lead a young team.

"It's not just these two matches, it's for a while now (that Dhoni has struggled). He just has not really got the team going at Test match level. That's up to the selectors but he has had a lot of time as captain, close to 60 Test matches. I think he has had a lot of time," Ganguly said. (Kohli Involved in Another Verbal Duel With Australia)

"I think Dhoni is a good captain. The record he has in one-day cricket, he is a good captain. But in Test conditions overseas, it's just fallen away a bit. This series is not over yet so maybe we can talk differently at the end of this series. Hopefully he can reinvent himself and find a way to lead this team forward," he added.

Ganguly spoke highly of a combative Kohli, whom he termed as the "future" of Indian cricket. "I think he (Kohli) is the future. He will be captain of India. You need positivity. You need positive captains. MS will captain at the World Cup, then we'll have to see what happens after that," the former left-handed batsman said.

"I like his (Kohli's) passion. You've got to have passion. It should mean something to you, any job you do. I like him, I like what I see," he was quoted as saying in 'Daily Telegraph'.