Some questions will never get answered. Among such mysteries, one is MS Dhoni. Why did he not announce his retirement at the peak of his career – or at least while he was still an asset for his team – is quite a riddle to solve. He hasn’t been in plans for last few seasons now, so what was he waiting for? Was he hoping for a comeback? But that was possible only if he was active in cricket (other than IPL; and even there he hasn’t done anything worth remembering of late).

Clearly, he isn’t someone who would latch on to hope and favours. And he ably demonstrated that when he retired from the tests in the middle of a series when nobody was asking for it. He did that because he believed it was the right thing to do. Again, he gave up the one-day captaincy to Virat when it wasn’t being demanded, Virat’s leadership qualities notwithstanding.

It hurts to see him go in such a low-key, unceremonious style. India’s most successful captain deserved better.