India suffered a thrashing defeat at the hands of England in the deciding ODI at the Leeds. The home team chased down the required target of 257 with eight wickets in hand.
Joe Root scored a fantastic century to guide his side through. Early in the day, it was Adil Rashid who had troubled the Indian batting line-up with his exceptional spell of bowling.
He bagged Virat Kohli’s wicket with a peach of a delivery. However, despite India’s loss, the result of the series decider took a back seat, as there were speculations doing rounds on the alleged retirement of MS Dhoni from international cricket.
The other players were walking towards the pavilion, but Dhoni silently went up to the umpires and collected the match ball after the game ended. It spread speculations of his retirement.
Widespread criticism for Dhoni
MS Dhoni had done the same thing back in 2014 when he called it quits from Tests. Dhoni has come under the scanner for his ultra-defensive batting approach which he displayed in the 2nd and the 3rd ODI on the England tour.
In the 2nd encounter, Dhoni had entered the crease with 183 required off 23 overs. The required rate was well below eight. However, after the former skipper departed, it had almost doubled, and eventually lost the game by 86 runs.
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Dhoni got dismissed on 37 off 59 deliveries. Even in the decider, he consumed 66 balls for his 42. It was a pretty ordinary inning yet again.
The former captain was the only set batsman and had to accelerate. However, David Willey dismissed him the 46th over. However, he had a tremendous season in the Indian Premier League scoring 455 runs in the tournament. Hence people had high expectations from the former skipper in the limited-overs series against England. However, it wasn’t to be, as Dhoni failed quite miserably.
The former legend, Sunil Gavaskar said Dhoni’s innings of 37 off 59 deliveries reminded him of his infamous 36 not out. If Dhoni retires now, India will be in a huge crisis without a doubt.
Despite his falling prowess, Dhoni is still a force to reckon with, and the cricketing brain is simply extraordinary. However, with Virat Kohli, he will never be in favour of Dhoni retiring before the 2019 World Cup.
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Here is how Twitterati reacted to Dhoni’s gesture of picking up the match ball
Dhoni did this only to shift focus of journos
Ab kiski ko nahi padi ki series haar gaye….Sab lage pade ki Dhoni ne kyu ball li….Masterstroke!!! pic.twitter.com/7RjpLV3rmR
— urstrulyKajal?? (@BanarasiBasanti) July 17, 2018
I am scared now….it is not the time for DHONI to retire …please Dhoni …stay …
Dont make any announcement …please please …it will be end of my Childhood …— Abhishek dwivedi (@abhishek_srkfan) July 17, 2018
https://twitter.com/itsumairr/status/1019305679616663552
https://twitter.com/Aditya__17/status/1019308193254596608
I presume (?) that MS Dhoni taking the ball is just as a memorabilia for the series (and run-out) as no one can predict things after 8-10 months. May be in the run up to #CWC19 he may feel confident to stay or otherwise too, we never know and no one, NO ONE can read his mind. pic.twitter.com/rfhMmAkqji
— Prabhu (@Cricprabhu) July 18, 2018
Why did MS Dhoni took the ball from umpire after last ball was bowled in the match at Leeds ?
Surely I don't want another 30 Dec, 2014 scene in limited over too.#Dhoni
— Manish Kumar (@theManishV) July 18, 2018
On a lighter note, MS Dhoni took the ball from the on-field umpire Michael Gough only to see why his aides couldn't inflict pain upon English batters. Having a ball, is not a bad omen at all. Remember, he is coming home. So, sit back & relax. Kohli won't let him retire. #ENGvsIND
— Tahir Ibn Manzoor (@TahirIbnManzoor) July 17, 2018
https://twitter.com/hemantbatra0/status/1019316263988944896
Re: Dhoni oddly taking the match ball and leading to speculations – The only 'official' response so far is "I didn't see that. I don't know"…from Shardul Thakur in the press conference!
— Prakash G (@PrakashG_CB) July 17, 2018
What could be the reason behind this?! ??
.#MSDhoni #ENGvIND pic.twitter.com/RBPmjeclvQ— Dhoni Raina Team (@dhoniraina_team) July 18, 2018