MS Dhoni's Retirement: End Of An Era

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Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who had last donned the India jersey in 2019 World Cup semi-final against New Zealand, had kept silent over his international future. In the middle of his absence from the Indian side, Dhoni's international future has been a big topic of debate for the fans. The veteran announced his international retirement on Saturday by sharing a video on Instagram.

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He had a great end to his career even if he couldn't guide India to the victory in the semi-final of 2019 World Cup. Dhoni’s half-century had surely raised hopes of fans in the semi-final but his run out at a crucial moment crushed India’s chances of progressing into the final. Since then, he hadn’t played a single match for India. In the middle of his absence, many former players had already predicted that Dhoni had already played his last game for India. In a career spanning over 90 Tests, 350 ODIs and 98 T20Is, he scored more than 15,000 international runs. Along with being a finisher, his agile wicketkeeping skills were also considered incomparable. After making his debut for India in 2004, Dhoni gathered 6 Test hundreds and 10 ODI tons to his name. He was also considered one of the best skippers in the world. He is the only captain in the world to have won three ICC trophies– T20 World Cup (2007), ODI World Cup (2011) and Champions Trophy (2013). Along with Ganguly, he was regarded as the main reason behind India’s success at the biggest stage.

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His journey as a captain started in 2007 when he led a young Indian team to victory in the inaugural T20 World Cup against Pakistan in South Africa. After that victory, he didn't look back as he eventually became the most decorated and successful skipper of Indian cricket.

Let's read what others said about Dhoni(twitter):-

1)Saurav Ganguly- “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,” Sourav Ganguly was quoted saying as per the BCCI Statement.

2)Jay Shah- “MS Dhoni is one of the greats of the modern era. I understand it’s a personal decision and we respect that. ‘Mahi’ as we all fondly refer to him, has had an exceptional career in international cricket. His captaincy has been both inspiring and commendable. He is leaving the game richer from the time he joined. I wish him all the very best for IPL and his future endeavours,” Mr Shah said.

3)Irfan Pathan- "It was a privilege to have played with a friend and cricketer who gave many laurels to our country on the cricketing field, very very greatly done on your career," Irfan Pathan said.

4)Virat Kohli-"Every cricketer has to end his journey one day, but still, when someone you've gotten to know so closely announces that decision, you feel the emotion much more. What you've done for the country will always remain in everyone's heart....," Kohli said.

5)Hardik Pandya- "There’s only one #MSDhoni. Thank you, my friend and elder brother for being the biggest inspiration in my career. Will miss playing with you in the blue jersey but am sure you will always be there for me and will keep guiding me," Pandya said.

6)Mohammad Amir- "cool and true gentleman @msdhoni Bhai cricket gonna miss u.good luck for ur future," Mohd. Amir said.

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Unbreakable records of Dhoni

1). The only captain to win all the ICC trophies- T20 World Cup (2007), ODI World Cup (2011) and Champions Trophy (2013).

2). Most number of stumpings by a wicketkeeper in ODIs- 123 stumpings.

3). Most wins in IPL as a captain- 104 wins.

4). Fastest stumping- 0.08 seconds.

5). Most runs as captain and keeper- 11,207 runs in 330 innings.

Some memorable knocks of MS Dhoni

1) 148 vs Pakistan(2005)

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A match between India and Pakistan is always a thrilling contest for the fans. This match was played in 2005 in Visakhapatnam. Batting at no.3, Mahi played a magnificent inning and scored 148 runs off 123 balls in the game. He hit 15 fours and 4 sixes in his innings. Before this match, Mahi had scored only 22 runs in 4 matches and this match by scoring 148, Dhoni announced his arrival in world cricket.

2) 91* vs Sri Lanka(2011 world cup)

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This inning is unforgettable for every cricket fan as this will go down in history as one of the best ODI innings. A target of 275 runs was set by Sri Lanka for India to win the 2011 World Cup. Promoting himself at no.5, Dhoni scored 91 runs off just 79 balls. In his match-winning innings, Dhoni hit 8 fours and 2 sixes. Dhoni was also awarded the ‘Man of the Match’ for his innings and India was successful in winning the ODI World Cup after a very long wait of 28 years.

3) 183* vs Sri Lanka(2005)

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This innings played against Sri Lanka is quite memorable for everyone. This match took place on 31 October 2005 at the Sawai Man Singh Cricket Stadium in Jaipur. Batting at no.3, Mahi scored an unbeaten 183 runs off 145 balls. In his innings, Dhoni hit 15 fours and 10 sixes. Dhoni also received the ‘Man of the Match’ award for his match-winning innings. After this innings, Dhoni became the player with the highest individual score as a wicketkeeper in ODIs.

4) 224 vs Australia(2013)

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In 2013, the Aussies arrived India under the captaincy of Michael Clarke to play the Border Gavaskar Test series. The first match of the test series was played at the M. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. Batting at no.6, Dhoni scored 224 runs in just 265 balls. In his innings, Dhoni hit 24 fours and 6 sixes. This was his first double century in Test cricket. India won this Test match by 8 wickets. Due to his match-winning innings, Dhoni also hit the fastest double century player for India as a wicket-keeper.

5) 45* vs Sri Lanka(2015)

In 2013, India and Sri Lanka played the final match of the Tri-Series at Trinidad. In this match, Dhoni played a huge role in helping India win the game while playing a brilliant captain’s innings. Batting first, Sri Lanka scored 201 runs. India had to chase 202 runs to win the match. While India was in a strong position to chase a target of 202, a dramatic collapse saw them slip from 139/3 to 182/9. Keeping alive the hopes of millions of Indian fans, Dhoni played a magnificent knock of 45 runs off 52 balls while remaining unbeaten till the end. India needed 15 runs in the last over and Shaminda Eranga was bowling the final over for Sri Lanka.

Dhoni hit six off the second ball, four off the third ball and six off the fourth ball and made India the champions. Dhoni will be back in action in IPL which will be played in the UAE from September 19 to November 10. After Dhoni's retirement, India has massive boots to fill.

Jatin Panwar ContentWriter @DayLightMedia