One of the most impactful cricketers in the history of the game decided to hang up his boots on August 15th. MS Dhoni made the announcement through a video message on Instagram saying ‘Thanks. Thanks a lot for ur love and support throughout.from 1929 hrs consider me as Retired.’ His retirement triggered a wave of messages on social media with people from all walks of life lauding his contribution to the game of cricket.
Even though he played his last game for India more than a year ago at the 2019 Cricket World Cup, Dhoni opted not to immediately announce his retirement. While he may be leaving international cricket, fans are still going to witness him in action when the Indian Premier League returns on September 19 from UAE.
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Former India batsman VVS Laxman talked about Dhoni’s retirement and where he is likely to play his farewell match. Laxman said that he believes Dhoni would play his farewell match at the Chepauk, just like how Sachin Tendulkar ended his career at the Wankhede Stadium.
“Number one is we all have to recognise that he (Dhoni) is very passionate about CSK. One of the reasons CSK has been the most successful franchise has been MS Dhoni’s leadership. So, he will go out and he will do everything possible for CSK to win the trophy. But as far as the fans are concerned, I think the euphoria will be there to be seen.
{{/usCountry}}“Number one is we all have to recognise that he (Dhoni) is very passionate about CSK. One of the reasons CSK has been the most successful franchise has been MS Dhoni’s leadership. So, he will go out and he will do everything possible for CSK to win the trophy. But as far as the fans are concerned, I think the euphoria will be there to be seen.
{{/usCountry}}“Till the time he is going to play cricket, he will be captaining CSK. I think each and every movement of MS Dhoni will be watched very closely, will be relished by each and every cricketing fan of his. So, they will enjoy each and every moment MS Dhoni spends on the cricket field,’ Laxman said in the Star Sports’ show Cricket Connected.
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“I think MS Dhoni’s farewell game will be whenever he plays his last match for CSK. And I can tell you for sure, just like the way Sachin had that farewell match at the Wankhede, I think the farewell match will be at the Chepauk.’
“And all the fans, not only at the ground but around the world, not only the Indian fans but all the cricketing fans will be watching that last game of MS whenever that will happen,” Laxman concluded.
Having retired from Test cricket in December of 2014 with 4876 runs from 90 matches, Dhoni carried on playing ODIs and T20Is. With 10,733 runs, Dhoni is fifth in the list of India’s all-time run-scorers in ODI behind Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, Sourav Ganguly, and Rahul Dravid. His overall Indian numbers are staggering: 538 matches, 17,266 runs, 16 centuries, 108 fifties, 359 sixes, 829 dismissals.