MS Dhoni reveals 'true' date of his retirement from international cricket; its not August 15

By Ovaise Shariff | First Published Oct 27, 2023, 3:02 PM IST

Former Indian cricket captain MS Dhoni unveils the correct date of his retirement from international cricket, shedding light on the emotional journey that marked the end of his illustrious career.

MS Dhoni, widely regarded as India's greatest-ever captain, is the sole Indian captain to have triumphed in all three ICC tournaments: the 2007 T20 World Cup, the 2011 ODI World Cup, and the 2013 Champions Trophy. He made his final appearance for the Indian cricket team in the 2019 ICC World Cup semi-final against New Zealand in Manchester on July 10, 2019. Although Dhoni officially announced his retirement on August 15, 2023, he has now revealed that he had actually made up his mind to step away from international cricket following India's loss to New Zealand in the semi-final, a match that spanned two days at Old Trafford.

Q&A with

Question: Few days back Sanjay Bangar shared a tweet saying Dhoni, Rishabh and Hardik couldn’t stop their tears. Is this true? pic.twitter.com/2Q9RQXz9Zb

— Yash Jadhav (@farzi_rtist)

Dhoni expressed his emotions about the decision, stating, "It becomes challenging to manage your emotions when you've just lost a closely contested match. Personally, I had already made my decision that this was my final day playing cricket for India. I officially retired a year later, but in my mind, that day marked my retirement. We cricketers are provided with various types of equipment. So, each time I returned something to the trainer, he would say, 'No, you keep it.' Internally, I was thinking, 'How do I tell him I won't be needing or using it anymore?' I didn't want to announce it at that moment."

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After serving his country for 15 years, Dhoni shared that he had a lot on his mind after reaching this decision, stating, "You're consumed by emotion. The only thing you've done for the past 12-15 years is play cricket. Suddenly, there's no longer an opportunity to represent your country. Very few people are given that opportunity. Athletes, regardless of the sport they participate in, represent their nation. Whether it's the Commonwealth Games, the Olympics, sportspersons have that privilege. After I left cricket, there was no way for me to do that anymore. I couldn't bring any more glory. All these thoughts were going through my mind."

During the 2019 World Cup semi-final, Dhoni was poised for one last heroic finish but fell short, getting run out for 50. As he walked back to the dressing room with his head down, fans around the world understood that it marked the end of his illustrious career. Earlier this year, Dhoni led the Chennai Super Kings to their fifth Indian Premier League (IPL) title and is expected to lead the side in the next season as well.

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