Mahendra Singh Dhoni gave us all a heartbreak when he announced his retirement from the international cricket. Dhoni’s announcement came as a shock to many as fans were not expecting it at this point of time. The legendary Indian captain took to his Instagram account to inform his fans about the same.
Lakshmipathy Balaji who has been providing his services to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) as a bowling coach recalls his conversation with MS Dhoni, moments after the latter announced his retirement. All the franchises have been gearing up for IPL 2020 and at the time of his retirement, both Balaji and Dhoni were at the MA Chidambram Stadium for a pre-season camp.
“After practice gets over, I normally talk a lot to Dhoni about the wicket, about practicing and playing conditions. So that day, I finished practice and I went inside. I did not realize that he had already put his retirement message at 7:29 pm,” Balaji recalled.
“So, after posting the message, Dhoni walked up to me as usual and he casually told me that he had asked the groundsman to water the ground extra for the pitch. I said okay. And I didn’t realize anything, it was a huge moment in his life. But, just like that, he moved on, and that’s Dhoni for you.
Dhoni has always been known for keeping a low-profile. He is quite popular for his humility and good nature. Even on the ground, he rarely displays his emotions completely. Dhoni’s calm and composed nature on the field has been his USP on the field. It has won great many matches for team India for sure.
There is nobody like MS Dhoni: Balaji
“I finally realized he announced his retirement. It took some time for me to sink in the moment. Dhoni’s uniqueness is the way he is detached. He will never stop no matter what the situation is, and moves on in his own style.”
Balaji has been working with Dhoni since 2018, when he was named the bowling coach of Chennai Super Kings. Balaji, who has played under Dhoni’s captaincy admits that there is nobody like Dhoni in the 21st century.
“From the year 2000, according to me, there’s nobody like Dhoni who’s had such a massive influence on not just Indian cricket but world cricket,” Balaji added.
Dhoni truly changed the fate of Indian cricket by making bold decisions and encouraging new talent and giving them chances. A lot of times his unusual decisions on the field surprised many, but those were the decisions that made a difference between winning and losing.
“His leadership changed the perception of leadership among all captains. The way he maintains his emotion on field, maintaining the team environment and camaraderie, leading the team successfully, only MS Dhoni could do it,” Balaji concluded.
Dhoni has retired from international cricket, but fans have a reason to rejoice as Dhoni will still be playing IPL. He is all set to lead the Chennai Super Kings in the 13th edition of the tournament. It will be great sight for the fans to see Dhoni finally back on the field after such a long time.