After 16 years of fabulous international Cricket career, India’s world cup winning captain, Mahendra Singh Dhoni made his mic-drop moment when he put out to the world “…from 1929 hours consider me as retired (sic)” on August 15, 2020. Whether he features in this year’s Indian Premier League T20 scheduled in the UAE later this year remains to be seen.
Starting his work career as a ticket collector for the Indian Railways and ending it as one of the best international cricketers, Dhoni will surely be remembered for his grit, perseverance, and composure.
Taking India to top in world rankings
Dhoni was last seen playing for Team India during the semi-final of the World Cup 2019 against New Zealand. He made his debut in 2004 and led the team as the captain to win three major ICC trophies — the T20 World Cup in 2007, the ODI World Cup in 2011, and the ICC Champions Trophy in 2013.
He captained India in a record 322 ODIs with 110 wins. Only a few have played as many international games, but none has been the team’s wicket-keeper as well apart from Dhoni.
MS, as he is fondly called, scored 10,773 one-day international (ODI) runs – the 11th highest tally in history. He also played 90 Tests, scoring 4,876 runs and guided India to the top of the world rankings before retiring from test cricket in 2014. The corkscrew on-drive or ‘helicopter’ shot was uniquely Dhoni’s. No other cricketer has been able to imitate it successfully.
Tributes
Colleagues, friends, and fans from around the world took to social media to show their love and respect for the former captain. The current Indian captain, Virat Kohli tweeted, “The world has seen achievements, I’ve seen the person. Thanks for everything skip. I tip my hat to you.”
Sachin Tendulkar tweeted, “Your contribution to Indian cricket has been immense, @msdhoni. Winning the 2011 World Cup together has been the best moment of my life.”
Raina wraps up too
Minutes after Dhoni’s retirement announcement, Suresh Raina followed suit with his own retirement announcement. The 33-year-old represented India in more than 300 internationals in a career that spanned over 13 years. Raina, who made his international debut against Sri Lanka in 2005, went on to feature in 226 ODIs. The left-hander cricketer brought in a revolution in India’s fielding capability. He claimed 167 catches in his international career. In a tweeter post Raina noted, “It was nothing but lovely playing with you, @mahi7781. With my heart full of pride, I choose to join you on this journey. Thank you, India. Jai Hind.”
Former cricketer Chetan Chauhan succumbs to COVID-19
Chetan Chauhan, the former India team’s batsman and veteran cricket administrator, died this week at the age of 73 due to COVID-19. In cricketing career between 1969 and 1981, Chauhan played 40 Tests and seven ODIs. He scored 2,084 Test runs with 16 half-centuries. The domestic batsman in a first-class cricket career played Ranji Trophy for Maharashtra and then Delhi. On his death, the Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi tweeted, “Anguished by his passing away. Condolences to his family and supporters. Om Shanti.” Chauhan, the two-time former BJP Lok Sabha Member of Parliament was Home Guard minister in the Uttar Pradesh cabinet.
– by Shivangi Bose, an experienced media professional and writer, who recently moved to Auckland, and has a special interest in script-writing for brand videos.