India captain MS Dhoni has retired from Test cricket, with immediate effect.

Dhoni made no mention of the decision in his post-match press conference after the third Test against Australia, but the BCCI released a statement with the shock news.

The BCCI also issued a media release, saying Dhoni was retiring from Tests because of “the strain of playing all formats of cricket.

• Third Test ends in draw, Australia wins series

“MS Dhoni has chosen to retire from Test cricket with immediate effect in order to concentrate on one-day and T20 formats,” the governing body said.

“BCCI while respecting the decision of MS Dhoni to retire from Test cricket, wishes to thank him for his enormous contribution to Test cricket and the laurels that he has brought to India.”

Vice-captain Virat Kohli, who clashed frequently with Australian players during the Boxing Day Test, will take over as captain for next week’s fourth and final Test in Sydney.

Dhoni held off the Australian attack on day five of the drawn Boxing Day Test, scoring 24no.

But he had come under increasing scrutiny for his captaincy in this series, where Australia have an unbeatable 2-0 lead.

Commentator Ian Chappell was scathing in his criticism of Dhoni for his tactics early on day two of the Boxing Day Test.

Former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly had also said that while Dhoni’s leadership in one dayers was exceptional, he had fallen away a bit as a Test skipper.

In its release, the BCCI lauded Dhoni as one of India’s greatest Test captains, noting he had led the side to the No.1 ranking.