MS Dhoni brushes aside retirement talk with sarcastic reply

MS Dhoni – no retirement for now

Indian limited overs captain MS Dhoni brushed aside talk of retirement with a sarcastic response after the 5th ODI between India and Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG). The 34-year-old’s place in the team has been a topic of debate over the last few months.

Also read: MS Dhoni on Retirement, Post Match Conference: Captain Cool keeps it Cool when asked about his retirement [Video]

When questioned if he has played his final ODI, Dhoni responded: “Iske liye PIL file karna padega (For this, a PIL will have to be filed).”

Despite India winning the final ODI earlier today, the visitors lost the series 4-1. There has been a lot of pressure on the Indian captain from former Indian players, with many mentioning that his powers were waning. Dhoni, though, doesn’t seem very bothered by his recent form.

Dhoni is the ageing boxer who knows the script but does he have the punch?

— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) January 23, 2016

Dhoni full of praise for Pandey and Bumrah

Dhoni was pleased with the way Manish Pandey guided India to victory under pressure and was also happy with debutant Jasprit Bumrah’s performance with the ball. Bumrah conceded just 40 runs and picked up 2 wickets, which when compared to the bowling figures of the other bowlers was very impressive.

"The top order has been together for a long time now. Where we have been hurt a little bit is the lower-order batting, where Manish did really well today, and also the fact that we have not had a settled bowling attack," Dhoni said.

“We need to give credit to our bowlers, we always give credit to Australian bowlers when they lose. Bumrah was fantastic.”

Dhoni unhappy with spider cam

During India’s innings, India had lost four runs off a certain boundary from Virat Kohli’s bat because the ball hit the spider cam. According to the rules, when the ball hits the spider cam, it is considered as a dead ball.

Luckily for India, those four runs didn't prove to be the difference in the end. But Dhoni made his dissatisfaction known.

"I have always felt that anything that disturbs the game of cricket I don't like it. It all started right from the T20 where people would be like, 'Why don't you wear a mic?', 'Why don't you wear a camera?'

"I have always felt there is a need for balance. At the end of the day, it is a spectator sport, people watching on television, but at the same time four runs can matter, especially when it is a close game. Those four runs can be crucial. Everyone gets penalised, why not have the same system for the spider cam? Say, 'Okay if you get hit, 2000 dollars per hit.' Let's make it interesting,” he added.

Dhoni also felt that his team were competitive in the series, despite the 4-1 scoreline.

“I think we have been competitive in the series. The goal was to win matches. The first four games, I thought were close, but we didn't close it down well. That's important in the ODI format. Every over matters, especially in a high-scoring game. Giving those 15-20 run overs, it becomes slightly easier for the opposition," he said.