In an event held in Mumbai, MS Dhoni looked back at the warm welcome he and his team received after winning the 2007 ICC World T20 and 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup. In the meantime, the former veteran skipper dodged every possible question of his retirement from cricket.
In the event on Wednesday (27th November), Dhoni recalled the high-spirited welcome the team received when they won both the ICC trophies. He claimed that those two moments were close to his heart and these are irreplaceable by any other.
Meanwhile, India’s favourite cricketer launched two Panerai Italian luxury watches at the event.
The renowned ‘Captain cool’ preempt any questions on his sabbatical throughout the event. He asked his fans to wait out till IPL 2020 to have a clear answer from him.
Dhoni: ‘Those are the two moments that are very close to my heart’
Dhoni had played an integral role in every match for his team and the nation. The former skipper is known for his hawk-eye situation analysis and plotting in the game.
It was under his leadership that India saw a World Cup title on its walls after the 1983 Prudential Cup. India won the inaugural World T20 (2007) in South Africa, beating their arch-rival Pakistan in the final.
And then in 2011, India reclaimed the ICC Men’s World Cup trophy at the iconic Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
“There are two incidents I would like to mention over here. So after the 2007 (T20) World Cup, we came back to India and had an open bus ride and we were standing at the Marine Drive (in Mumbai). It was jam-packed all around and people had come out of their cars,” said Dhoni.
He expressed his gratitude over the reactions he and his team received from the fans and the cricket lovers at the Marine Drive.
“So, I felt good after seeing the smile on everyone’s face. Because, there could have been so many people in the crowd, who might have missed their flights, perhaps they were going for important work. The kind of reception, we got, the entire Marine Drive was full from one end to other.”
Meanwhile, during the 2011 World Cup when India was just 15-20 runs away from the historic win, Indian fans started chanting “Vande-Mataram” in the stands. Dhoni listed this moment his second unforgettable memory from the World Cups he had bagged for India.
“And the second instance I would say the 2011 World Cup final, in that match when 15-20 runs were required, the way all the spectators started chanting ‘Vande Mataram’ at the Wankhede Stadium.
“These are two moments, I think, it will be very difficult to replicate them. Those are the two moments that are very close to my heart,” added Dhoni.
In the 2011 Cricket World Cup final, Dhoni remained unbeaten on 91 runs.
The 38-year-old veteran cricketer has not made any comeback in cricket ever since he went on self-break after India’s ouster from the Cricket World Cup 2019 in July.
While he is expected to feature in the IPL 2020, Dhoni will miss the West Indies tour of India, starting from December 6. However, the right-handed has started practising off with Jharkhand’s U-23 team at the Ranchi stadium.
Any decision about his future in cricket will remain uncertain till IPL 2020, as asked by the cricketer himself.