ENG vs IND 2018: Ravi Shastri Reveals Why MS Dhoni Took The Ball From The Umpires After Third ODI

India head coach Ravi Shastri has dismissed all the speculations surrounding MS Dhoni’e retirement.

Video showing Dhoni taking the match ball from the umpires after the third ODI against England went viral right after the game ended.

In fact, the incident had very much overshadowed India’s dismal performance in the series-decider. The fans speculated that it was a big sign Dhoni would bring curtains on his career. Dhoni’s poor performance in the series further fuelled the speculations.

The World Cup-winning skipper has been attracting severe criticism for his poor batting. While the right-handed batsman managed to score handy runs, he coped criticism for his defensive approach.

In the second ODI, he had walked into bat when India needed 183 in 23 overs. But never during his stay, Dhoni tried to go for the shots. In the end, he was out after scoring 37 off 59 balls as India were all out for just 236 while chasing 323. He struggled in the third ODI too. Dhoni managed to score 42 but used up 66 deliveries for the same. What made things even worse was the timing of his dismissal. He was the last recognised batsmen at the crease and just when it looked like he would accelerate, he departed in the 46th over. India eventually managed a modest 256 for 8. In reply, England chased down the total with utmost ease to win the series.

And when he walked away with the match ball even after losing the game, the fans feared for the worst.

However, Shastri has made it clear that the gesture was not a pre-indication of Dhoni’s retirement. The head coach confirmed that the veteran took the ball only to show it to bowling coach.

“MS wanted to show the ball to Bharat Arun. He wanted to show him the wear and tear the ball had endured, to get a general idea of what the conditions were like,” Shastri told The Times of India.

“That’s rubbish. MS is not going anywhere,” Shastri confirmed. “But right now, all this clamour is nonsense. He just wanted to show the ball to Arun to just have a look at it after close to 45 overs had been bowled.”