Former India captain — Mahendra Singh Dhoni has announced his retirement from international cricket. The boy from small-town –Ranchi, who made his ODI debut in 2004, transformed the face of Indian cricket with his calm attitude, sharp knowledge of the game and clever leadership qualities.
Dhoni took to Instagram to post a video of his career in photographs as he bid adieu to international cricket.
He captioned the post as, “Thanks a lot for ur love and support throughout.from 1929 hrs consider me as Retired.”
The Indian fans cried and sent their best wishes to the cricket who led India to all the three ICC trophies – 2007 T20 World Cup, 2011 World Cup, and 2013 Champions Trophy.
His team mate and friend, Suresh Raina also announced retirement from international cricket moments after Dhoni.
A captain cool with huge success
One of the most admired and respected cricketers, Dhoni retires as Indian cricket’s most successful captain in limited-overs internationals, having won three ICC trophies – 2007 T20 World Cup, 50-over World Cup in 2011 and the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy — Dhoni became the first and is still the only captain to date to have won all three ICC Trophies.
While his heroics in the limited-overs formats are well documented, it was also under his leadership that India became the No. 1 Test side in 2009, and the team remained at the top for over 600 days. He has led India to victory in 21 home Test matches, the most by an Indian captain.
His last international cricket match was the semifinal of the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup in which India lost to New Zealand. There were speculations that he will retire from international cricket but was all set to play the IPL. BCCI, however, did not include him in its annual contract list for the year 2020
However, many were speculating that Dhoni may make a comeback in T-20 world cup after giving a performance in IPL. Then the pandemic hit, and the IPL was delayed, any chances of him making a comeback in international cricket turned bleak.
Reactions from BCCI President
Sourav Ganguly, said — “It is the end of an era. What a player he has been for the country and world cricket. His leadership qualities have been something, which will be hard to match, especially in the shorter format of the game. His batting in one-day cricket in his early stages made the world stand up and notice his flair and sheer natural brilliance.
Every good thing comes to an end and this has been an absolutely brilliant one. He has set the standards for the wicketkeepers to come and make a mark for the country. He will finish with no regrets on the field. An outstanding career; I wish him the best in life.”
Dhoni has left behind a strong legacy that will be difficult to replicate. He holds the record for most international matches as captain (332). Unarguably the fastest man behind the wicket, Dhoni has 195 international stumpings, the most by any wicket-keeper.
