World Cup 2019: Adam Gilchrist sends heartfelt message to MS Dhoni amid retirement rumours

Australia legend Adam Gilchrist sent a heartfelt message to former India captain MS Dhoni amid rumours of his impending retirement.

Australia legend Adam Gilchrist sent a heartfelt message to former India captain MS Dhoni amid rumours of his impending retirement. The Indian cricket team crashed out of the World Cup after a surprise defeat to New Zealand in the semifinal, and there are rumours that the Indian wicketkeeper-batsman could announce retirement from the sport. Gilchrist, in a tweet, expressed his gratitude to Dhoni for his contribution to the game.

India's Mahendra Singh Dhoni reacts at the end of play. (AFP)

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“Not sure if you are playing on but thanks @msdhoni You have given the game so much,” the former Aussie wicketkeeper-batsman wrote.

“Always admired your calmness and self belief,” he added.

Gilchrist further went on to speak to Indian cricket fans and asked them to not be harsh on the players for not being able to win the trophy. “Don’t be too harsh on your team Indian fans. Just shows World Cup’s aren’t easy to win. A lot has to go right and any slip ups can be punished. They are a top team and play a form of cricket that is really cool to watch,” he said.

Conceding the fact that India lacked the presence of a strong middle order batsman, head coach Ravi Shastri pointed it out as one of the major reasons behind India’s ouster from the ICC World Cup 2019.

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“In hindsight, yes, we did need a solid batsman out there in the middle order. But now, that’s something for the future. That’s a position that was always giving us problems, but we just couldn’t nail it. (K L) Rahul was there but then Shikhar Dhawan got injured. Then Vijay Shankar was there, and he got injured. We just couldn’t control it,” Shastri was quoted as saying by Indian Express.