Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the most successful Indian captain, has announced his retirement from international cricket. “Thanks a lot for your love and support throughout. From 1929 hrs, consider me as retired,” he shared on his Instagram account, ending his successful career in which he led the Indian team to two world cup wins. As soon as he broke the news, his lakhs of fans on Twitter began pouring their love and respect for the legendary wicketkeeper-batsman. His former teammates, including cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar, Home Minister Amit Shah and other politicians also wished him for the future.

MS Dhoni, an unconventional batsman known for his helicopter shot, made his debut against Bangladesh in 2004/05. He was picked again for a one-day international series against Pakistan. In his second ODI against Pakistan, he scored a blistering 148 in Visakhapatnam, announcing his arrival to the international stage.

 

He later cemented his position in the Indian side as a match-finisher batsman and a highly skilled wicketkeeper. In 2007, he got the opportunity of his life as he was appointed the captain of the Indian Team in the inaugural T-20 World Cup, which India won after defeating Pakistan in a thrilling final. Four years later, MS Dhoni led the team to the ODI World Cup win.

 

The 39-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman quit Tests in 2014 and had been on sabbatical since India’s semi-final loss to New Zealand in last year’s World Cup.

(Courtesy NDTV)