MS Dhoni retires from international cricket for India | Cricket News

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Mike Atherton and Nasser Hussain discuss the glittering career of former India captain MS Dhoni after he announced his retirement from international cricket.

MS Dhoni, who captained India to victory in the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup, has announced his retirement from international cricket.

The 39-year-old Dhoni announced his decision in an Instagram post, saying: “Thanks. Thanks a lot for ur love and support throughout. From 1929 hrs consider me as Retired.”

Dhoni played 90 Test matches for India, averaging 38.09 and scoring six hundreds, before retiring from the longest format in 2014.

He is India’s most successful captain in limited-over internationals, having won three ICC trophies – the 2007 World T20 World Cup, that 2011 World Cup win on home soil and the 2013 Champions Trophy.

He played a staggering 350 ODIs, averaging 50.57 and scoring 10 centuries, with his 10,733 runs placing him fifth on India’s list of all-time run-scorers, behind only Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid.

MS Dhoni hits the winning runs as India beat Sri Lanka in the 2011 Cricket World Cup final

Sky Sports cricket expert Michael Atherton, reacting to the news, said: “When a player retires, what do people remember about that player? Not the average or the numbers but how they played the game and the iconic moments that they were involved in.

“I would remember the hitting of that six at the Wankhede Stadium to win that World Cup in 2011. What a fabulous player he was.”

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Shane Warne makes a plea for MS Dhoni to join the London Spirit for The Hundred next year after his retirement from international cricket.

Dhoni also played in 98 T20 internationals for India and has enjoyed great success captaining Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League – winning the competition three times since its launch in 2008.

Dhoni did not specify if he had retired from all cricket, so he might yet feature in the rescheduled 2020 IPL tournament that is set to take place behind closed doors in the UAE from September.

MS Dhoni has captained Chennai Super Kings to the IPL title three times (Credit: AFP)

His last appearance in international cricket came in India’s semi-final defeat to New Zealand in the 2019 World Cup.

Sky Sports’ Nasser Hussain also commented on Dhoni’s incredible career as the news of his international retirement broke, adding: “Great captain, probably the best white-ball captain there has ever been and also a cool, calm customer under pressure.

“A great finisher of a game, the game wasn’t won until you got Dhoni out. That is a good combination when you’re a great captain, cool and calm under pressure.”