MSD Reveals He Retired From International Cricket After 2019 World Cup Run-Out

Although the world was taken aback by Mahendra Singh Dhoni's unexpected retirement declarations, the former skipper had them all planned out in advance.

A little more than four years have passed since India fell by eighteen runs to New Zealand in the Manchester World Cup semi-final, and Dhoni has disclosed that his decision to retire from international cricket was cemented in his mind after being run out by Martin Guptill on that particular day.

One of the most heartbreaking scenes in Indian cricket history is a devastated Dhoni hobbling back to the pavilion following his dismissal. Few people would have believed that it was his final match for India as he walked away and the team finally fell out of the competition.

After that July 9, 2020, match, Captain Cool wrote on Instagram on August 15, 2020, saying, "Thanks a lot for ur love and support throughout from 1929 hrs consider me as Retired."

Dhoni recently stated, "It is difficult to control the emotions in a close game (especially) when you have lost," during a speech at an event in Bangalore.

"I've finished my planning inside. In my opinion, that marked the end of my cricket career for India, even though I had declared my retirement a year earlier. However, the truth is that I retired that day.

We are given those machines (for checking fitness), and each time I went to the trainer, I would give it back to him, but he would say, 'No, no, you keep it,'" said the 42-year-old. How do I now tell him that I don't need this anymore and that I won't need it going forward since I didn't want to declare my retirement at that time?

Apart from stumping batters in a flash, like he did Shubman Gill during Chennai Super Kings' victory over Gujarat Titans earlier this year, Dhoni, who still packs IPL stadiums to capacity, noted that the decision also denied him the unique chance to represent his country.

"When you're feeling very emotional, you realize that all you've done for the past 12 or 15 years is play cricket, and that means you won't have another opportunity to represent your nation.

It's a significant matter. Even if there are a lot of people, only few have the opportunity to represent the nation. Whichever sport you choose, every time you take the field, you are representing your nation.

"It is a huge deal because we represent our country when we compete in ICC tournaments, the Olympics, or the Commonwealth Games. According to Dhoni, who led India to victory in the 2011 World Cup, "there was no way out for me to represent our country once I quit cricket."