MS Dhoni Announces Retirement from International Cricket; Raina Follows Suit

MS Dhoni, the former India skipper and India’s most successful captain in limited-overs cricket, announced his retirement on Saturday.

“Thanks a lot for ur love and support throughout.from 1929 hrs consider me as Retired”, Dhoni wrote on his Instagram account.

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Despite his retirement, the Chennai Super Kings captain is expected to play in the upcoming IPL 2020 in the UAE, which starts on September 19. Also, on Friday, Dhoni was spotted arriving in Chennai for the team’s training camp.

The 39-year-old had been on a sabbatical from international cricket since India’s semi-final exit in the ODI World Cup last July. For more than a year, he avoided talking about his future but at an event in Mumbai earlier. Dhoni had said questions regarding his return to international cricket should only be asked after January 2020.

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Suresh Raina, king of cameos, follows MS Dhoni into retirement

Suresh Raina was Sudama to Dhoni’s Krishna, a bond now firmly entrenched with Raina’s decision to follow Dhoni into retirement. It will unsurprisingly elicit contrasting reactions from the cricketing world. There will be raves, typically from CSK fans among whom he is their much-loved chinna thala (little leader) as an ode to Dhoni’s thala. It will also trigger sniggers from another section who would see the retirement as an ingratiating gesture. Not that it will surprise Raina; he is used to the criticism and the differing perceptions of him.

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Hailed as an outstanding talent by Greg Chappell, the former India head coach, Raina’s Test career fell way short with his weakness against the short ball that left mental dents. His ODI career had its highs and lows. But T20s were his spiritual home in cricket, offering him the elusive respect.

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