When MS Dhoni Surprised Team India And Ravi Shastri With His Retirement Decision
Jan 9, 2019 at 3:52 PM
Unpredictability has been the constant feature of Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s illustrious career. From handing over the ball to Joginder Sharma to deliver the last over of the World T20 in 2007 to promoting himself ahead of the in-form Yuvraj Singh in the 2011 World Cup final, the most decorated skipper in the history of Indian cricket always remained one step ahead of what others used to think.
One such instance was witnessed on 30th December 2014 when the team had lost yet another overseas Test series. And while the series loss was a big blow, the whole country as well as the cricketing fraternity was in for a huge shock as Dhoni announced his retirement from the longest format of the game, midway through the four-match series.
Rajdeep Sardesai in his newly-released book ‘Democracy XI’ has revealed that not only the fans and the players were taken aback by Dhoni’s decision but current head coach and the then team director Ravi Shastri was also surprised by the shocking decision.
“I had no inkling about what he had in his mind but that’s typical of MS Dhoni. There are no half measures in what he does,” Shastri told Sardesai.
In fact, when Dhoni broke the news to the squad, some of the players were so moved that they began crying. The most successful skipper bowed out of Tests without any farewell game, but perhaps that nature of his makes him the different from the rest.
Dhoni had later justified his shocking decision by saying that Virat Kohli was ready to lead the side while Wriddhiman Saha was also ready to don the wicketkeeping gloves.
“I just felt that it was the right time and the right thing to do. Virat was ready to lead the team and a young wicketkeeper was emerging in Wriddhiman Saha who I felt deserved more opportunities,” the World Cup-winning captain had said.
“Look we had lost the series, so there was no point hanging on. Virat was in great form and deserved a go. As for Tests, to be honest, milestones don’t make a difference to me. Maybe if I had played 100 Tests, I would have thought otherwise, but I was happy with what I had achieved and was leaving with no regrets” Dhoni added.
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