The 39-year-old Dhoni bid adieu to international cricket but he will play IPL 2020 for Chennai Super Kings (CSK). The tournament has been shifted to the UAE amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
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Dhoni has already joined his CSK teammates and is preparing for IPL in Chennai. His last match for India was in July 2019 in the World Cup semi-final against New Zealand.
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In his tribute, Ranveer wrote on Instagram that Dhoni is his “hero forever”. Also he hailed the wicketkeeper-batsman as “one of the greatest sportsmen to have ever lived”.
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He began his Instagram post with, “This little gem of a photo is one of my prized possessions. It was taken around the year 200708 at ND Studio in Karjat. I was about 22 years old, working as an assistant director. I took up this particular job only because the ad film featured the one & only MS Dhoni. I was overworked and underpaid, but I didn’t care- I just wanted to be in His presence.”
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He continued, “I was even injured at the time, but I worked through the pain in the hope that as a reward for my sincere efforts, I would be granted a chance to briefly meet MSD and maybe get a photo with him. When I finally met him, I was completely awestruck. He was so humble, so down-to-earth, full of grace and exuded an unmistakable aura of kindness. My love, respect and reverence for him grew even stronger.”
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Ranveer, who is married to actress Deepika Padukone, recalled his first meeting with Dhoni. He wrote, “After I did my first movie, Sapna (who was our common hairstylist at the time) called me one day and said ‘hey I know you’re a massive MSD fan, he’s shooting at Mehboob studio, come & meet him if you’d like’. Man-oh-man! I just dropped everything and rushed to the studio to meet him! He was jovial and warm and praised my performance in BBB. We hung out, I had my cap and jersey signed by him, like a true fanboy. That day, I felt like I was walking on the clouds!”
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He further stated, “Since then, every time that I have the good fortune of meeting him, I am left energised and enthused, as if a big brother has blessed me with energy and motivation to go out and be the best that I can be.”
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Ranveer concluded, “MSD is one of the greatest sportsmen to have ever lived. I’m lucky to have witnessed his playing career in my lifetime. A paragon of excellence. An icon of the sport. My hero forever. Thank you Mahi Bhai for bringing glory to our great nation and filling a billion hearts with pride. #MSD the #GOAT”
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Here is the screengrab of Ranveer's Instagram post on Dhoni.
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Dhoni took to Instagram to announce his international retirement.
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