15 August 2020… The entire country was immersed in the celebration of independence. But on the same day, at 7.29 pm, a news came which shook the fans. This news was about Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s retirement from international cricket. This announcement of ‘Captain Cool’ MS Dhoni had created silence in the entire cricket world and the fans were stunned by this decision of Mahi. Today has completed four years since Dhoni’s retirement.
MS Dhoni had informed about his retirement from international cricket by posting a video on his Instagram. The song played in the video was ‘Main Pal Do Pal Ka Shayar Hoon…’ which is still stuck in the minds of the fans. MS Dhoni had captioned the post, ‘Thank you always for your love and support. I should be considered retired from 7:29 pm onwards.
Some time after MS Dhoni’s retirement, Suresh Raina also said goodbye to international cricket. Raina’s retirement was also no less than a shock for the fans. Raina had written on Instagram, ‘It was very lovely to play with you (Dhoni). With full pride I want to join you in this journey. Thanks India. Jai Hind.’
MS Dhoni played his last international match against New Zealand in the 2019 World Cup. 43 year old MS Dhoni scored 17266 runs by playing 350 ODIs, 98 T20 Internationals and 90 Test matches. During this period he scored 108 half-centuries and 16 centuries. Under the captaincy of MS Dhoni, Team India was successful in winning three ICC titles. Under the captaincy of Dhoni, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) won five IPL titles. Dhoni was also seen playing for CSK in IPL 2024.
This was the international record of Dhoni-Raina
If seen, India had played 60 Tests under the captaincy of Dhoni, in which Team India had won 27 matches and lost 18. There were 15 matches drawn. Dhoni captained India in 200 ODI matches, in which the team won 110. Apart from this, 11 matches remained inconclusive and 5 matches ended in a tie. Talking about T20 International, in this format Dhoni captained Team India in 72 matches, in which India won 42 matches (including one ball out). The team had to face defeat in 28 matches and there was no result in two.
Talking about 37 year old Suresh Raina, he scored 768 runs for the Indian team in 18 test matches with the help of one century. This middle-order batsman participated in 226 One Day International matches for Team India. During this period, Raina scored 5615 runs, which included five centuries. At the same time, 1604 runs are recorded in Raina’s name in 78 T20 International matches.