Five reasons why MS Dhoni decided to quit

1. Batting woes:

The technical glitch in his batting of poking at the balls just outside the off stump was exposed badly on the foreign tours in the last couple of years. There was a genuine uncertainty on his capacity to handle the moving ball and his commitment to the totals was  deteriorating in test matches and he was not able to deliver with bat the way he would have liked so he may have thought its better of offering chance to youths who are fairly the fate of Indian cricket.

2. Able replacement:

In an after match public interview of 2011-2012 Australia visit, MS Dhoni published that he will venture down as a Test captain before the World Cup if there is a capable supplanting and with Virat Kohli hitting twin hundreds in his debut match and the way he forcefully and emphatically headed the team as a captain Dhoni may have been persuaded that Kohli is prepared to handle the all important job which would have without a doubt settled on his choice to that much simpler.

3. Focus on Limited over career:

Handling 5 day cricket as a Captain, wicket keeper and batsman over a substantial period of time can be mighty tough and it would have definitely taken a toll on MS Dhoni both mentally and physically so to prolong his ODI career he might have decided to call it a day from test match cricket. It is also a known fact that he enjoys and is more himself in the limited overs format.

4. The IPL Fiasco:

Although Mahendra Singh Dhoni is a ‘tough nut to crack’ but allegations of conflict of Interest and of shielding Gurunath Meiyappan in the IPL betting scandal would have unquestionably affected him in a negative way. There were massive speculations in media that his name was there in the Mudgal commission report too. Although he did not utter a word on this topic but deep inside this news would have hurt him a lot.

5. Overseas record as a Test captain:

In the last 23 overseas tests matches as a captain Dhoni won only 2 AND LOST 15 TEST matches. In these 15 test losses there were two complete whitewash one in England and another in Australia. He was being ridiculed from every nook and corner for his defensive tactics and it seemed that he had run out of ideas as a test Captain and let the game drift away so he might have thought to give up captaincy to a more exuberant character like Virat who will provide his fresh ideas to the team. 

Ashton Agar included in Australia squad for Sydney Test

Australia have made a shock inclusion for the fourth Test against India in Sydney. Left-arm spinner, Ashton Agar who last played a Test in the 2013 Ashes in England, averages 45.14 in the Sheffield Shield this season. He has played just two Tests so far and his claim to fame was the 98 he hit coming in at No. 11 in his debut Test.

The 21-year old is as of now playing in the Big Bash for Perth Scorchers. The pitch at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) has a reputation of being the most spinner-accommodating track in Australia. With Nathan Lyon performing his part more than enough, Australia may be toying with the thought of running in with two spinners for the New Year's Test.

Australia have taken an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series and the fourth and last Test starts on January 6.

Australias squad for 4th Test: David Warner, Chris Rogers, Shane Watson, Steve Smith (capt), Shaun Marsh, Joe Burns, Brad Haddin, Mitchell Johnson, Ryan Harris, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc, Peter Siddle, Ashton Agar.

MS Dhoni retires from Tests with immediate effect

In a stunning disclosure, MS Dhoni has proclaimed his retirement from Test cricket with quick impact. A BCCI press release said, "MS Dhoni has chosen to resign from Test cricket refering to the strain of playing all formats  of cricket." The release also added that Dhoni wanted to focus on Odis and T20is from now on.

Virat Kohli, who headed the side in the first Test at Adelaide when Dhoni was injured, has been named skipper for the fourth Test against Australia in Sydney.

Having played 90 Tests and scored 4876 runs for India, Dhoni is measurably India's best wicket-keeper batsman ever. He also effected 294 dismissals as a 'keeper, which is agreeably the most by an Indian and fifth best ever. For a real piece of his Test career, 60 Tests to be exact, Dhoni also shouldered the load of heading the side. He is also India's best Test captain with 27 wins. India drew 15 games while losing 18 Tests under him.

While he proceeded with the convention of India being powerhouses at home, his captaincy record abroad went on a downturn lately. Of the 30 Tests that India played abroad under Dhoni, they won just 6 while losing 15. Notwithstanding, he also headed India to a series win in New Zealand and West Indies. India also moved to the No. 1 spot in the ICC Test rankings in Dhoni's tenure.

There had been expanding weight on Dhoni as a captain in Tests abroad especially after Virat Kohli's amazing indicating as captain in the Adelaide Test. Dhoni had prior shown that he would be venturing far from one of the formats post the 2015 World Cup. With the series already decided in Melbourne, it may well have impacted his choice to resign with quick impact.

Saeed Ajmal unable to rectify his bowling action

Shahryar Khan, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) executive, has uncovered that off-spinner, Saeed Ajmal, has still not corrected his bowling action is thinking that it hard to bring his action under the 15-degree limitation.

The PCB executive said it was dependent upon Ajmal to illuminate the board concerning when he needs his bowling to be reassessed. On the off chance that he falls flat in the following testing, it could put his vocation injeopardy, reported thenews.com.pk.

Khan specified that the off-spinner has worked hard to correct his bownling action  and has different traps up his sleeve than simply the 'doosra'. The administrator said PCB will attempt to get his activity reassessed before seventh January, which is the due date to name the 15-man squad for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015.

Ajmal was accounted for a suspect activity after a Test match in the middle of Pakistan and Sri-Lanka at Galle recently. international Cricket Council (ICC) chose to suspend Ajmal from bowling action on ninth September after an ICC-licensed group of bio-mechanics masters tried his activity at the National Cricket Center in Brisbane and discovered it to surpass the 15% reasonable breaking point.

Elgar, Du Plessis bat Proteas into commanding position

DEAN ELGAR and Faf du Plessis continued their batting love affair with St. George’s Park as they both ground out patient innings that put the Castle Lager Proteas well in control after day one of the second Sunfoil Test match.

Elgar mad his third Test match century, his second at Port Elizabeth and his highest Test score of 121 (239 balls, 18 fours) while Du Plessis finished the day unbeaten on 99 (228 balls, 12 fours and 2 sixes) as the Proteas closed on 270/2 in the 88 overs that the West Indies were able to bowl in the allotted time.

Elgar and Du Plessis have now both made more than 300 runs in the four innings they have had at St. George’s Park.

The West Indies won the toss for the second match in a row and again opted to bowl first. It was the decision they had to take after naming a side with five specialist bowlers, including four seamers, leaving themselves a specialist batsman light.

They put in a much better and more committed performance with the ball in spite of the close of play total suggesting otherwise. The inclusion of Shannon Gabriel, who bowled at impressive pace, and Jason Holder, who brought the accuracy that had been lacking at SuperSport Park, certainly made a difference.

Jerome Taylor and Suleiman Benn, who bowled exactly half of the overs between them, also contributed well while the new cap, Kenroy Peters, broke the ground record second wicket stand of 179 between Du Plessis and Elgar.

The Proteas’ total could have been less secure had the West Indies fielders given their bowlers the support they deserved. Du Plessis was dropped in the slips cordon on 8 and again on 26 while Elgar should have been stumped on 48. Benn, in fact, could have dismissed the pair in the same over and then had the mortification of seeing Elgar pump him back over his head for four to reach his half-century.

The Proteas will no doubt also give some thought to their running between the wickets as there were no fewer than four run out opportunities on which the West Indies were not able to capitalise.

It was a day that required patience from both the batsmen and the bowlers. It took both Elgar and Du Plessis until the final session to come to terms with the pace of the pitch which did not encourage attacking strokeplay.

Nevertheless the Proteas managed to maintain a run rate of three to the over throughout the day, scoring 68/1 in the first session in 25 overs, 89 in the second without loss in 30 overs and 113/1 in the final session off 33 overs.

Du Plessis and Hashim Amla are now poised to build the Proteas total into a near invincible position with plenty of batting to follow.

The conditions offered the bowlers neither swing nor seam but Taylor has already given indication that uneven bounce is going to become an increasing factor in the match, particularly for left-handers. This is where Elgar did particularly well. Apart from his undoubted talent he has loads of courage and was not unsettled either by a nasty blow to the inside of his elbow or one that clipped his helmet.

As expected, the Proteas named Temba Bavuma as the 85th player to be capped for the Proteas in the five-day format while local conditions caused Imran Tahir to be preferred to Kyle Abbott.

Saeed Ajmal set to be included in Pakistan's squad for ICC Cricket World Cup 2015

Saeed Ajmal, Pakistan's pro off-spinner, is situated to be included in the 15-man squad for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015. According to reports by Geo News, if Ajmal's activity isn't cleared then, International Cricket Council (ICC) will permit Pakistan to name a swap for the veteran off-spinner.

Prior, Ajmal was suspended from international cricket in September after tests on his bowling action in Brisbane found that the 36-year-old spinner straightened his arm by more than 15 degrees. From that point forward, Ajmal has been striving to correct his activity.

As of late, Ajmal played a couple of One-Day games  against Kenya furthermore took a six-wicket haul in Pakistan 'A's pulverizing win by an edge of 116 runs in the fourth match of that series. Both Ajmal and his colleague, Mohammad Hafeez, will land in India toward the end of this current month to experience informal tests on their bowling activities.

South Africa vs West Indies, 2nd Test, Port Elizabeth: Preview

The West Indies confront an overwhelming errand when they tackle South Africa in the second Test in Port Elizabeth's St. George's Park on Friday. The visitors were defeated in the first Test in Centurion, where they were beaten by an innings and 220 runs, with the match finishing before lunch on the fourth day.

It was such an uneven challenge, to the point that South Africa will again be solid top picks, despite the fact that there are a few elements that support the West Indians in Port Elizabeth, where the pitches normally offer negligible crease development and less pace than other South African venues. It was in the waterfront city seven years prior that the West Indies picked up their just win in 13 Test matches in South Africa. Three of the current squad assumed huge parts, with Shivnarine Chanderpaul (104) and Marlon Samuels (94), the pillars of a solid first innings, while quick bowler Jerome Taylor had match figures of six for 112.

On his part, Chanderpaul played down the hugeness of conditions at St. George's Park when he addresses writers on Tuesday. He however, concurred with South African batsman Faf du Plessis that the West Indies had a tendency to blow "hot and chilly" and ascribed the 2007 win to the way that "we had a decent match".

"We know we are much superior to we indicated in Centurion," said Chanderpaul, yet he recognized the challenges of tackling what he depicted as "the best bowling assault on the planet".

Indeed, Chanderpaul and Samuels will again be enter players in what gives off an impression of being a delicate West Indian batting request. Both will be looking to enhance their exhibitions in Centurion where Samuels made 33 and 17, while Chanderpaul was out for 21 and four. Samuels succumbed to a short conveyance from Morne Morkel in the first innings, while Chanderpaul gloved a horrible bouncer from Dale Steyn in the second innings.

Steyn, who took six for 34 in the second innings in Centurion, has taken 21 wickets in four Tests in Port Elizabeth and said that in spite of the fact that the pitch was slower, he could be successful on the grounds that he was not particularly tall. Not long ago, Steyn had created a match-winning spell of quick switch swing bowling against Australia at St. George's Park. "I'm a bit skiddier so when I bowl a bouncer fellows have a tendency to play a smidgen more though in Centurion gentlemen can escape from the path on account of the bob."

South Africa are prone to roll out two improvements to their winning group. Batsman, Temba Bavuma, who is situated to wind up just the sixth dark African to play in a Test match for the nation, set up of harmed wicketkeeper-batsman Quinton de Kock, with AB de Villiers keeping wicket, as he did in both innings at Centurion.

Because of the slower surface, South Africa are prone to play a twist bowler, with seamer, Kyle Abbott, presumably sitting out for leg-spinner Imran Tahir. Tahir was drafted into the squad on Tuesday when left-arm spinner, Robin Peterson, endured a damage to his rocking the bowling alley hand.