Why MS Dhoni chose to retire from international cricket EXACTLY at 19:29 on August 15
MS Dhoni retirement: Fans have been speculating why India’s legendary skipper Dhoni decided to quit international cricket at 19:29 hours on August 15.
India great Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Saturday announced his retirement in the most Dhoni-Esque way ever possible. Without much attention, Dhoni quit international cricket with a cool post on his Instagram account on 15th August, which happened to be India’s 74th Independence day.
“Thanks a lot for ur love and support throughout. From 1929 hrs consider me as Retired,” Dhoni wrote along with the video on Instagram. The video depicted Dhoni’s international journey from breaking into the national side, scripting records, playing memorable knocks, winning trophies and getting run out in his last match for India.
Social media was abuzz with tributary posts for the legendary Indian captain, with fans expressing their heartfelt thanks to MS Dhoni and wishing him luck for his future endeavours.
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Dhoni retires: Mystery behind ’19:29′ and August 15
However, one thing that caught everyone’s attention was Dhoni’s emphasis on ’19:29′. “From 19:29 consider me as retired,” Dhoni stated. Notably, Dhoni’s retirement post on Instagram too came at 19:29.
Fans started searching and speculating the reason why MS Dhoni decided to quit international cricket at ’19:29′ on India’s Independence day.
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Dhoni’s jersey number is ‘7’ and Raina played for India wearing the jersey numbered ‘3’. If these two numbers are joined, then it becomes 73, the same number of years, the country completed its independence. Interestingly, even Suresh Raina responded to the tweet posting the emoji of the Indian flag.
Some fans said that Dhoni decided to retire at ’19:29′ hours as it was the exact same time when India lost the World Cup semi-final match to New Zealand in 2019, which was also his last international match.
While others pointed out that 1929 was an ‘angel number’ which brings a message that you have completed a major phase or cycle in your life and that has brought closure to projects and ways of doing or ‘being’.
Many cricket fans also correlated the ‘Great Depression 1929’ to MS Dhoni’s retirement at 19:29 on Saturday.
MS Dhoni’s last bow
After a top-order collapse, Dhoni (50) and Ravindra Jadeja (77) combined to stage a fightback for India. They added a 116-run stand for the seventh wicket to bring India closer to victory.
India needed 31 runs off the final two overs at Old Trafford in Manchester. Dhoni started the 49th over from Lockie Ferguson with a huge six to leave the game wide open and complete his fifty. The next delivery was a dot ball which increased the pressure on the former captain. In the same over, Martin Guptill’s nearly 50-yard throw from the deep caught Dhoni short of the crease by a couple of inches in the 2019 World Cup semifinal where India lost to New Zealand.
Dhoni’s career in numbers
MS Dhoni was one of his country’s most successful captains before standing down as skipper of the limited-over teams in 2017. Having made his international debut in 2004, Dhoni went on to captain India in 332 out of his 538 international appearances. Dhoni, who turned 39 last month, remains the only captain to win the T20 World Cup, ODI World Cup and the Champions Trophy.
Dhoni ends his ODI career having played 350 matches, scoring 10,773 runs and effecting 444 dismissals. He holds the record for most dismissals in T20 internationals with 91 in 98 matches. Overall, Dhoni has amassed 17,000 international runs across formats, including 16 centuries, and more than 800 victims as wicketkeeper.
Virat Kohli, who took the captaincy baton from MS Dhoni in all the three formats of the game added that achievements of MS Dhoni will always be remembered by the nation. Virat Kohli said the world has seen the achievements of Dhoni but he has seen the actual person.
“Every cricketer has to end his journey one day, but still when someone you’ve gotten to know so closely announces that decision, you feel the emotion much more. What you’ve done for the country will always remain in everyone’s heart, but the mutual respect and warmth I’ve received from you will always stay in mine. The world has seen achievements, I’ve seen the person. Thanks for everything skip. I tip my hat to you,” Virat Kohli wrote on Instagram.
BCCI president Sourav Ganguly, the man responsible for giving Indian cricket MS Dhoni, congratulated the former India captain on a career second to none, saying his leadership qualities will be difficult for anyone to replicate.
“It is the end of an era. What a player he has been for the country and world cricket. His leadership qualities have been something, which will be hard to match, especially in the shorter format of the game,” Sourav Ganguly said in a BCCI release.
On the other hand, India coach Ravi Shastri said that MS Dhoni forever changed the face of Indian cricket and should be considered as one of the all-time greats of the game.
“This man is second to none. And coming from where he did he changed cricket for all times to come. And his beauty is he did it in all formats. T-20- he has won a world cup and multiple IPL titles. 50 overs- he has won a world cup. Test cricket- he has taken India to the number one position in the world. Played 90 Test matches.
“And he always took life as it came. From his days in Kharagpur to his days as an Indian cricketer he was always in the moment. And in retirement also he has moved on. As I said he is second to none,” Ravi Shastri told India Today’s Boria Majumdar in an exclusive interview.
