When will MS Dhoni announce his retirement from cricket? This is a question that still remains to be answered. The wicketkeeper-batter called time on his international cricket career in August, 2020 but he continues to feature in Indian Premier League as a player. Dhoni played in IPL 2024 but gave no hints about his retirement plans even at the end of his team Chennai Super Kings’ campaign. Hence, his potential retirement continues to be a matter of intrigue. In an interview, Dhoni’s former India teammate Mohammed Shami revealed the player’s retirement strategy.
"You (media) guys have been putting a question mark on his future. The man himself says, 'Dekha Jayega' (let's see)," Shami said on Shubhankar Mishra's YouTube channel.
"I had this conversation with Mahi bhai, asking 'When should a player retire?'. He said, 'First when you yourself get bored and second, Jab lage ki laat padne wali hai (when you realise that you would be kicked out of the team).'
"But the first and foremost thing is that when you stop enjoying the game, it's a sign that your time has come. Better you choose the best moment to retire. Because your body starts intimating you if you can't sustain a particular format. That's when a player should call it time," Shami added.
Dhoni is considered as one of the greatest wicketkeeper-batters of all time. Across all three international formats of the game, Dhoni scored 17,266 runs at an average of 44.96, with 16 centuries and 108 fifties, with the best score of 224.
As a captain, Dhoni led India to number one Test ranking, ICC T20 World Cup 2007, ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 and the ICC Champions Trophy 2013, becoming the only captain to have won all major ICC white-ball tournaments. ODIs are Dhoni's best format, having made 10,773 runs in 350 matches and 297 innings at an average of 50.57, with 10 centuries and 73 fifties. His best score is 183 not out.
As a captain of CSK, Dhoni led the franchise to five IPL titles. In the 2024 edition of the tournament, he played under the captaincy of Ruturaj Gaikwad, but the team failed to make it to the playoffs, missing out narrowly on net-run-rate and finishing fifth with seven wins and losses each.
Coming down the order, Dhoni scored 161 runs in 11 innings at an average of 53.66, with a strike rate of 220.54 and a best score of 37 not out. He hit 14 fours and 13 sixes in the edition.
(With ANI Inputs)