Mahendra Singh Dhoni has announced his retirement from international cricket, reports PTI, bringing an end to the career of one of India’s greatest cricketers, and his most successful captain. He is the only captain to lift all three ICC trophies – the World Cup, the T20 World Cup and the Championship trophy – and he also took India to the top of the ICC Test rankings.
Dhoni, 39, took to Instagram to make his announcement, posting a slideshow of images from his career to the soundtrack of yesteryear singer Mukesh on his official account, titled: “Thanks – Thanks a lot for your love and support across. from 1929 consider me retired. “(sic)
While the post does not specify it, the pension is expected to come only from international cricket, and Dhoni will play in the upcoming IPL 2020. The Super Kings chief executive had recently said that she expected him to play for the franchise even after retirement , until at least 2022.
The announcement means that Dhoni’s final international match will remain his 350th ODI, in which he scored 50 in a World Cup 2019 semi-final defeat to New Zealand. He also played 90 Test matches and 98 Twenty20 internationals in an international career that began in December 2004. His stats are formidable: more than 15,000 international runes across formats, 16 centuries and more than 800 victims as wicketkeepers.
But Dhoni’s legacy extends far beyond the numbers: he will be remembered, as both batsman and captain, for his unconventional style and his ability to remain calm in the face of extreme pressure. That shone in its greatest moment on the world stage, and knocked out the World Cup final in Mumbai in 2011 with a six to place the seal on a match-winning 91 *. In the second biggest match of his career, the inaugural T20 World Cup final in 2007, he threw the ball to Joginder Sharma for the final over instead of the more experienced Harbhajan Singh.
His life story was unusual enough to warrant a biopic. Its roots, in the crossing backwaters of Ranchi; his early working life as a ticket inspector on Indian Railways; and his burst on the scene, long-winded, fearless, and boisterous. Within a few years, he was captain of India’s fourth Twenty20 side in the inaugural T20 World Cup; famously it was an event that the BCCI did not take seriously. However, India’s win changed world cricket by giving a huge flip to the IPL – a tournament that was already in the works – and the BCCI further established itself as the leading global power.
In the years that followed, the Indian team of Dhoni had results on the field to match that financial clout. His captaincy was based on his cool, almost computer-like brain, and his ability to withstand the pressure of long-term results to determine his tactics. Together with coach Gary Kirsten, he put his senior performers in a comfortable place, and they returned the favorites with some of their best years in international cricket.
The win at the 2011 World Cup was the peak of his career; afterwards he had to face an older team and the toll that non-stop cricket took on his own body. His batting changed and he cut back on pyrotechnics for a more calculated approach to batting, especially when there was between the tail. Towards the end, however, he came under criticism because his handball slowed down and he came under heavy criticism for India’s defeat to England in the World Cup, where they briefly conceded 31 runs, despite five wickets in the hand.
No assessment of Dhoni would be complete without mentioning his formidable record in the IPL, where he will still be active. He has been the face of the Chennai Super Kings franchise for its entire existence, facing its two-year ban, leading them to four titles and four runner-up finishes. He became so deeply connected to the city that he even became co-owner of a Chennai-based football franchise.
More to follow …
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