MS Dhoni
MS Dhoni (Courtesy: Twitter)

MS Dhoni made his last international appearance in the 2019 World Cup against New Zealand, where India bowed out in the semi-finals. Taking his time to announce his decision after the marquee event, MS Dhoni missed out on several tournaments, as he kept on extending his sabbatical.

Dhoni, however, put an end to all the speculations by hanging up his boots on the 74th Independence Day. Chopra recalls one of his conversation with Dhoni ahead of the 2019 World Cup and said that they discussed about his retirement at the event. To which, Chopra insisted him to play longer, and Dhoni said  how long more?

Anjum Chopra, India, India Cricket, Pay Parity
Anjum Chopra. Photo Credit: Twitter.

“The last time I met him was just before the start of the 2019 World Cup at an event for the Virat Kohli Foundation in London. The entire Indian team was there. I was asking MS ‘I am hearing that you’re hanging up your boots’. All this conversation went on in a very candid and casual manner,” Anjum Chopra told India Today.

“He said ‘of course someday, you have to hang up your boots’. I said ‘yeah, but don’t do it so soon. Continue playing as much as you can because we’re fans and we want you to be there’.

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“He said ‘I know but everyday you have to think when is the last day and everybody has to hang up the boots someday and we have to be practical about it’.

“I replied ‘haan, haan but abhi karne ke liye zaroorat nahi hai (Yes, but you don’t have the need to do it now’. Thoda samai aur, thoda samai aur (A little more time, a little more time).

“He said ‘aisa samai karke karke kab tak jayenge (how long can this ‘little more time’ business go on’?).”

Anjum Chopra Says MS Dhoni Had Plans About Retirement Before 2019 World Cup
MS Dhoni and Piyush Chawla [Photo-Free Press Journal]
Dhoni made a big name for himself by making the country proud with his achievements after coming from the cricketing backwaters of Ranchi. He has achieved immense success as a player and also grew up to be one of the most successful captains and achieved almost everything the ICC tournaments had to offer.

All the success had made him one of the most influential person on the cricketing circuit but he was not the same when he was first introduced to the national team. Besides that, MS Dhoni has also been the go-to man for his teammates whenever he was on the field.

Dhoni understood the game well. He knew the strength of the side and backs his players accordingly. He did not takes any kind of frivolous decisions and likes to maintain his calm. It is due to these qualities Dhoni came up as one of the most calm and composed character on the cricket field.

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