Dhoni announces retirement from international cricket

Dhoni took to Instagram to make the announcement

Dhoni―The ‘all-rounder’ Team India needs at the World Cup Mahendra Singh Dhoni led Team India during one of the golden periods of Indian cricket | AFP

Former India World Cup-winning captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni announced retirement from international cricket today.

Dhoni took to Instagram to share a video showing snapshots from his 16-year international career, captioning it, “Thanks a lot for ur love and support throughout.from 1929 hrs consider me as Retired”.

The announcement came a day after he joined his Chennai Super kings teammates in Chennai ahead of this year's IPL in the UAE. Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Kedar Jadhav, Deepak Chahar and Piyush Chawla were among the CSK players who arrived on Friday for a short IPL preparatory camp. The CSK squad will depart to the UAE on August 21.

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The two-time World Cup-winning former India captain, thus, ended over a year of suspense, having gone on a sabbatical after India's semifinal exit in the 2019 ICC World Cup. He led India to a thrilling five-run win over Pakistan in the final of the inaugural 2007 T20 World Cup, before lifting the 2011 ICC World Cup and also the 2013 Champions Trophy.

The 39-year-old represented India in 350 ODIs, 90 Tests and 98 T20 Internationals. In the 50-over format, he scored 10,773 runs, averaging more than 50. In Tests, Dhoni scored 4,876 runs at an average of 38.09 and led India to more wins (27) than anyone else before him. The last leg of his career, however, was marred by a drop in form, prompting several critics to question his resolve to continue.

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More than runs, it was his reading of match-situations for most part of his career, and his leadership qualities, that set him apart from his contemporaries.

Whether it was the handing the ball to rookie Joginder Sharma in the final over of the 2007 World T20 or pushing himself ahead of man-in-form Yuvraj Singh in the 2011 50-over World Cup, Dhoni's instincts rarely failed him.

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The IPL was also his happy hunting ground where he was the revered 'Thala', leading the Chennai Super Kings to three trophies.

The most significant of those titles came last season when the side made its return to the event after a two-year suspension for its official Gurunath Meiyappan's role in the 2013 spot-fixing scandal.

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