Teary-Eyed Mahendra Singh Dhoni Got Emotional While Breaking Retirement News to Team
Mahendra Singh Dhoni announced his Test retirement after the draw vs Australia in Melbourne on Tuesday.
Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni got emotional while announcing to his teammates in Melbourne that he had decided to quit Test cricket. The shocking decision came soon after the third Test at the MCG was drawn. Having lost the series, Dhoni conveyed his decision to BCCI secretary Sanjay Patel and then spoke to his team. (A career overview of MS Dhoni)
Although Patel called Dhoni's decision to quit Test cricket a "lion-hearted" one, teammate and close friend Suresh Raina posted a picture of him with a teary-eyed Dhoni on twitter. (Dhoni's captaincy cannot be measured in words: Gavaskar)
Valiant while you led. Valiant in your departure. #Respect @msdhoni pic.twitter.com/w6xdnebG3s
- Suresh Raina (@ImRaina) December 30, 2014
Team director Ravi Shastri reportedly told a website, "When he (Dhoni) walked into the dressing room, got the team together and said what he had to, he caught us all off guard. There were no dramas, he just said, very openly, 'I can't play all formats anymore, so I'm announcing my retirement from Tests.' He has always been someone who will do what he wants to, and he stayed true to that till the last moment. To have the guts to say to his team that he could not go on playing all formats, it tells you how honest he is with himself and his mates." (BCCI tried and failed to change MS Dhoni's mind about retirement)
"MS is a very practical man. Today, he called up just after the Test match in Melbourne and told me that he wanted to retire from Test cricket. I asked him "what happened are you injured or what?" He just calmly told me "No, I just want to quit Test cricket for good,". He is an Indian captain and a distinguished cricketer. It's his personal choice and I needed to respect that," Patel told PTI. (Dhoni knew Kohli was ready: Gavaskar)
"I was a bit taken aback by the suddenness of his statement. But we had spoken about it before the Test also. Now what transpired between us is an internal matter but I can tell you that it wasn't a decision taken in haste. It was done after due deliberations," Patel added.