5 players MS Dhoni groomed for the Indian cricket team
In an Instagram post earlier today, former Indian captain MS Dhoni announced his retirement from international cricket. He thanked India and their fans for the love and support, while claiming: 'from 19:29 hrs, consider me as retired'.
Given MS Dhoni's links to the Indian armed forces and the fact that the 15th of August is the country's Independence Day, the retirement announcement has a certain poetic feel to it. The former Indian captain will, however, continue to play franchise cricket, and is already in Chennai preparing for the 2020 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
5 players MS Dhoni groomed for the Indian cricket team
In the wake of this shocking development, we take a look at 5 players who MS Dhoni groomed for the Indian cricket team.
#5 Rohit Sharma
Indian opener Rohit Sharma is one of the greatest limited-overs batsmen the country has ever seen, and much of the credit for him becoming the world-beater that he is must go to MS Dhoni.
The former Indian captain made the brave call of promoting Rohit to the top of the order ahead of the 2013 Champions Trophy, and his decision was immediately vindicated as India went on to win the tournament.
Rohit went from strength to strength, scoring three double centuries in the 50-over format and recording as many 5 centuries in the 2019 World Cup. The Mumbai Indians skipper has seen his game reach unparalleled heights at the top of the order, and MS Dhoni's constant faith in his potential, despite the constant criticism that was levelled at Rohit, has paid rich dividends for the Indian cricket team.
#4 Suresh Raina
MS Dhoni's right-hand man at CSK, Suresh Raina played a crucial role in India's ICC tournament wins - the 2011 World Cup and the 2013 Champions Trophy. The elegant southpaw played crucial knocks in the quarter-final against Australia and the semi-final against Pakistan to take India to their first World Cup win in 28 years.
Much of Raina's success has been a result of his partnership with MS Dhoni at Chepauk. The CSK skipper developed Raina's game to suit the team's needs like only he can, with the latter becoming incredibly useful with the ball and as always, electric in the field.
Raina also posted on Instagram that he 'chooses to join MS Dhoni in this journey', and Indian cricket might just have lost two of its greatest-ever players on the same day.