MS Dhoni puts off retirement talk until January

What's the story?

Former Indian captain MS Dhoni has put off the rumors of his retirement, at least for now, by saying he will not reveal anything until January. During his interaction with reporters at a recent promotional event, the Chennai Super Kings star also reminisced about the 2007 T20 World Cup and the 2011 ICC World Cup, billing them as the best moments of his career.

The background

Dhoni has been away from the cricket field since the 2019 World Cup. His last international appearance for India came against New Zealand in the heartbreaking semifinal loss.

Dhoni getting run out during the Wold Cup semifinal

Since then the 38-year-old has kept everyone guessing about his future, by refusing to make any official announcement and yet still being away from the team. In his absence, the team has begun the grooming process of Dhoni's replacements.

The heart of the matter

When asked about his return to cricket, Dhoni quickly replied,

"January tak mat poocho (don't ask me till January)."

After launching two limited edition watches of the “Panerai” brand, Dhoni took a trip down memory lane and spoke about his two World Cup wins. The veteran wicket-keeper batsman said:

“There are two incidents I would like to mention over here. So after the 2007 (T20) World Cup, we came back to India and had an open bus ride and we were standing at the Marine Drive (in Mumbai). It was jam-packed all around and people had come out of their cars.

"I felt good after seeing the smile on everyone’s face. Because, there could have been so many people in the crowd, who might have missed their flights, perhaps they were going for important work. The kind of reception we got, the entire Marine Drive was full from one end to other.”

He further reminisced about the 2011 World Cup win at home and referred to the final stages of the match against Sri Lanka. Dhoni continued:

“And the second instance I would say the 2011 World Cup final, in that match when 15-20 runs were required, the way all the spectators started chanting ‘Vande Mataram’ at the Wankhede Stadium. These are two moments, I think, it will be very difficult to replicate them. Those are the two moments that are very close to my heart.”

MS Dhoni with the 2011 World Cup trophy

What's next?

It is unclear whether or not Dhoni will make a comeback to international cricket. However, the Indian team coach Ravi Shastri had earlier revealed that Dhoni will have to perform well in IPL 2020 to earn his place in the 2020 T20 World Cup squad.