(Image source: X.com)
[Saba Sports News] One of the most successful Indian captains MS Dhoni was recently seen attending a promotional event in which the former cricketer talked about the last and final day of his illustrious and glorious 14-year-long International career.
‘Thala’ Dhoni ended his international cricket career on a low note, playing his last match for India against New Zealand in the ODI World Cup 2019 semi-finals at Old Trafford, Manchester. In that match, the Men in Blue suffered an 18-run loss. Dhoni scored a fifty off 72 balls in the challenging run-chase against the Black Caps but couldn’t close out the game for India as he got run out by the iconic direct hit from Martin Guptill.
During a recent promotional event for RIGI, when asked about the latter part of his international cricket career, the 42-year-old Dhoni stated that, in his perspective, the 2019 World Cup semi-final marked his final day of playing for India. He had already made up his mind about his future plans but officially announced his retirement a year later on Independence Day, August 15, 2020.
“When you lose a close game, (World Cup 2019 semi-final), the planning has already been done inside. That was the last time I played cricket for India. I retired a year later but the fact was that day, I retired. Everytime, I went to the trainer, I gave the machine back to him. I told him to keep it but never got to tell him at that point that there is no need as I won’t be using it because I did not want to announce at that point of time,” Dhoni said during the event.
Furthermore, he emphasized that regardless of the sport athletes play, representing their nation is a profound and meaningful experience.
“You are high on emotion, and the only thing that you have done in the last 12-15 years is playing cricket and then, there is no more chance of you representing your country. Irrespective of which sport you play, when you go out to play, you represent your country,” he further stated.