“Thanks a lot for ur love and support throughout.from 1929 hrs consider me as Retired”. These were the words from Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s post on Instagram account, announcing his retirement. Accompanying it was a montage of Dhoni in India colours in different matches, moods, across formats. Sahir Ludhianvi’s immortal lines from the film 'Kabhie Kabhie', sung by Mukesh—Main pal do pal ka shayar hoon, pal do pal meri kahani hai…” (I am a poet of few moments, my story is also made up of few moments) played in the background.
And, just like that, after months of speculation by fans and experts alike, Dhoni brought the curtains down on his illustrious 16-year international career. He is currently with his Chennai Super Kings teammates in Chennai, as part of an IPL preparatory camp. The team will fly to the UAE on August 21.
In typical “Mahi way”, he had not informed anyone—not his teammates or the CSK top brass, national selectors, skipper Virat Kohli or even coach Ravi Shastri. He, however did inform BCCI office-bearers.
Even as he continues to prepare for the upcoming IPL season, it appears any little hope Dhoni had of making it to the Indian team for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup were gone by the tournament's postponement to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Dhoni has not been even playing domestic cricket recently, and the selectors—especially MSK Prasad, who was the chairman of the earlier selection committee—had made it clear that they had moved on, giving more chances to the likes of Rishabh Pant in shorter formats.
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“He (Dhoni) put this post up after the training. He had not told me anything, someone came and informed me about it. No, I am not surprised at all, though, either by his timing or his sudden announcement,” Kasi Vishwanath, CEO, Chennai Super Kings, told THE WEEK.
In terms of records, Dhoni owns them all. In international cricket, no one else has led a side in more matches (332), made more runs at no. 6 or lower (10,628), effected more stumpings (195), remained unbeaten more (142), and finished an ODI with a six on more occasions (9). And, he is the only captain to win all three ICC trophies—the 50-over World Cup in 2011, the Men’s T20 World Cup in 2007 and Champions Trophy in 2013.
His Test career, too, ended abruptly—in the middle of the Test series in Australia in 2014—as he made way for the young Virat Kohli. But the shorter format and his love for the same kept him going.
He was 'Captain Cool', one-man demolition army with the bat, the finisher extraordinaire and a smart wicketkeeper, all rolled into one. The ones to follow him in India and abroad, have learnt, watched and tried to emulate him, but in vain. His are large shoes to fill—be it for Kohli the skipper, or Rishabh Pant the wicketkeeper. His impact on Indian cricket has been massive and long-lasting.
What adds to his halo is Dhoni's humble beginnings—hailing from Ranchi, working as a TTE, almost going unnoticed by national selectors but for BCCI’s TRDO system and Sourav Ganguly’s inputs. Interestingly, Dhoni began his international career on December 23, 2004, with a first-ball run out, and ended his international career on July 10, 2019, with yet another run out (having made 50 runs in 72 balls).
His tenure as skipper also coincided with the retirement and phasing out of the Fab 5—some smoothly, some not. But as his stature grew, so did his influence over Indian cricket. It is no secret that N. Srinivasan, former BCCI president and managing director of India Cements—the company which owns CSK—and Dhoni share a special bond. Dhoni’s decisions have always been backed by Srinivasan and that is one of the reasons why 'Thala' Dhoni is an inseparable part of CSK franchise, having led it since its inception.
The buzz around his impending retirement from international cricket became loud during the 2019 World Cup, which saw Dhoni struggle to finish matches in his trademark style. But he denied the speculations. The World Cup saw a slightly different and diffident Dhoni, be it with the bat or with gloves. He even got embroiled in the controversy over his bespoke wicketkeeping gloves, which displayed an Army insignia. Dhoni’s love for Army fatigues and battleground came to the fore strongly post his return from England as he focused on fulfilling his non-cricketing dreams, like a two-week stint with the Territorial Army—he is an honorary lieutenant colonel. So, in a way, it's not surprising that he chose August 15 to announce his retirement.
Dhoni’s fans are, undoubtedly, heartbroken. Typical to his nature, only Dhoni knows, what lies ahead for him after the IPL. His fans will just have to wait and watch the social media space.