Fans Root for Captain Cool Even As Retirement Rumours Amplify

Fans Root for Captain Cool Even As Retirement Rumours Amplify

After the heart-breaking loss to New Zealand's in the semifinals of the ICC Cricket World Cup, it is being widely speculated that MS Dhoni might have just played his last innings on Wednesday. Though the ‘Captain Cool’ is yet to make any official statement, fans are in complete support of the cricketer who left an indelible mark on the Indian team and cricket, in general. 

From the boy next door to the most successful captain of the Indian cricket, Dhoni garnered huge appreciation for his performances, especially for his captaincy in T20 World Cup in 2007, following which he took charge of ODI as well as Test leadership.

Anil Satapathy, who regards himself as a staunch cricket lover, says, "Dhoni and cricket have been synonymous to each other. It will never be the same for any cricket lover who has adored Dhoni. This man has notably set records in cricket for generations to come and is a gem of a human, setting milestones of values that people take as inspiration. It will not be wrong if I say that Dhoni virtually is the member of every Indian family. He is the legend that Indian cricket could ever have."

No wonder then that in 2016, Neeraj Pandey’s biopic "M.S Dhoni- An Untold Story" became a blockbuster. The film narrated several chapters of  Dhoni's life and journey vividly. 

Not only Indians, but players of different countries too regard Dhoni as their Idol. Jos Buttler, the explosive wicket kleeper-batsman of England says, "I grew up seeing M.S Dhoni. He is a phenomenal cricketer in the history of cricket. He is "Mr. Cool". His calm and composed attributes on and off the game has made me learn a lot in both professional and personal life."

The cricketer ended up garnering acclaim from his seniors and peers as well. Lauding him, Sachin Tendulkar once said, "Dhoni is the best captain I have played under." The current captain of Indian Cricket Team Virat Kohli states, "M.S Dhoni will never retire for us and we would always look up to him as we have been doing. He is and will always remain an active part of Indian cricket and could continue playing till the time he wishes to. He is always going to be our captain in heads."

While India’s loss at the semi-finals left cricket fans crestfallen, support for Dhoni kept pouring in. Even as Kohli reiterated that the former captain had not intimated the teammates about his future course of action, the internet was flooded with memes and posts anticipating Dhoni’s retirement with some calling it “End of an era”. 

Writer and stand-up comedian Zakir Khan tweeted – “I thought I am an adult now, so won’t feel this Emotional. But contrary to my belief I cried and I cried like that 8 year old kid who felt same in d 1996 world cup. Cricket keeps d child within us alive. Thank you @msdhoni @imVkohli and team for such great world cup. #ICCCWC2019

Actor Dhanush too tweeted in support of Dhoni – And we love you @msdhoni