“Do you want me to retire?” - When MS Dhoni posed questions to Australian journalist at a press conference
Current Indian captain Rohit Sharma can be termed the unofficial king of press conferences, but former skipper MS Dhoni has also had his moments in the hot seat. After India were knocked out of the 2016 T20 World Cup at home, following their loss to West Indies in the semi-final, a clip from his post-match press conference went viral. Dhoni ended up countering an Australian over a query about his cricketing future.
Speaking of the knockout clash that was played at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, India batted first and put up 192/2 in their 20 overs. West Indies gunned down the total in 19.4 overs with seven wickets in hand.
At the post-match press conference, an Australian journalist, Samuel Ferris, asked the Indian captain about his future plans. What happened next was rather unexpected. This is how the conversation went.
Ferris: MS, you have achieved almost everything. Are you keen to continue playing on after this tournament?
Dhoni: Come here, let's have some fun. Please come here. Come, come, come...seriously! Yeah, come! (Ferris walks up and sits alongside Dhoni on the podium)
(Watch from 4 minutes 20 seconds)
Dhoni: Do you want me to retire?
Ferris: No. That's what I asked you.
Dhoni: I was hoping it was an Indian media guy, because I can't really say if you have a brother or a son who can play for India or is a wicket-keeper. Do you think I am unfit?
Ferris: No.
Dhoni: You have seen me running?
Ferris: Very fast.
Dhoni: Do you think I can survive till the 2019 World Cup?
Ferris: Yes, sure.
Dhoni: Then you have answered the question (the room erupts with laughter)
Ferris: Thank you, sir.
There were mixed reactions to Dhoni’s behavior at the press conference. While some felt that he was rude to the journalist, who was only doing his job, others wondered what the fuss was all about, terming it another example of the cricket legend’s witty side.
How the Australian journalist reacted to the MS Dhoni incident
Sharing his views on the viral incident featuring Dhoni, the Australian journalist opined that he felt he had asked a pretty standard question, adding that he perhaps took a bullet for his Indian colleagues.
Putting up a post on cricket.com.au, he wrote:
“I thought it was a pretty standard question to be fair. When Dhoni shocked the world with his Test retirement out of nowhere after the 2014 Boxing Day Test at the MCG, it caught everybody off-guard. With that in mind, I was sure he would get asked again if he was going to retire from limited-overs cricket.
“Word has it, Dhoni hates that question and was ready to pounce on an Indian journalist who was going to ask it. Even though I fired the wrong ammunition, it seems I took a bullet for my Indian colleagues,” he added.
Dhoni went on to play for India till 2019 and announced his international retirement a year later. The 2019 World Cup semi-final against New Zealand was his last match for India.
The veteran keeper-batter, however, continues to lead Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and even guided them to victory in the 2023 season.