Live Score
Cricket Teams
Cricket Players'Ravi bhai called for a meeting. Raina started crying': Axar recalls dressing room scenes on day of Dhoni's retirement
India spinner Axar Patel recalled how the dressing atmosphere back in 2014 had become extremely serious when it was announced that former captain MS Dhoni would be retiring from Test cricket.
India spinner Axar Patel recalled how the dressing room atmosphere back in 2014 had become extremely serious when it was announced that former captain MS Dhoni would be retiring from Test cricket. The decision that Dhoni was done as a Test player came on December 30 that year, after the third Test between India and Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground had ended in a draw. Just when reporters and journalists were wrapping up their match reports, a mail from the BCCI left everyone shocked. Its subject said 'MS Dhoni retires from Test cricket'.
While the official announcement came after the end of the match, Axar reveals that it was on the evening of Day 2 that Ravi Shastri (team director/coach) informed everyone in the team of Dhoni's decision. Axar, who was part of the India Test squad, said that everyone in the squad had become emotional, while it took him time to wrap his head around what had just transpired.
IPL 2022 CSK vs RCB Live Score
"He announced it the next day itself, on the evening of the second day of the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne. The atmosphere had changed. Everyone was quiet and Ravi (Shastri) bhai called for a meeting. 'Everybody… we have to make an announcement. Mahi is retiring'. (Suresh) Raina started crying. I was like 'What just happened? Everyone around me was tearing up. I was in another world, 'What just happened? What is going on?'," Axar told actor, television and cricket presenter Gaurav Kapur on his famous YouTube Show 'Breakfast with Champions'.
Like everyone else present, it took Axar time to soak in the feeling that he would never get to play under Dhoni, at least in Test matches. The left-arm spinner then recalled how Dhoni would pull his leg before finally giving Axar a hug.
"I didn't even know what to say. It was the first time I was meeting Mahi bhai. But before I said anything, he only said: 'Bapu (Axar's nickname… you arrived and made me leave? I was like 'what did I do?'. Then I teared up… I just arrived and he is leaving. He said that he’s just joking and then hugged me," Axar added.
