MS Dhoni retires: Nehwal, Sania & other Indian Olympians pay tribute to Team India legend

Indian cricket's legend MS Dhoni announced his retirement on August 15, ending his 16-year-long illustrious international career. The 39-year-old icon revealed his decision on his Instagram account, pairing it with a career highlights video playing to the 1976 Bollywood movie Kabhie Kabhie's song – Main pal do pal ka shayar hoon. Following his announcement, Indian Olympic champions took to social media to pay their tributes to the World Cup-winning Indian captain. 

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MS Dhoni retires: Saina Nehwal, Sania Mirza almost Olympic champions react to news

London Olympics 2012 bronze medallist and badminton icon Saina Nehwal was one of the first people to comment, commending Dhoni for the "super job as a sportsman". Nehwal thanked him for his "lovely performance", wishing him all the best for his retirement. "You will be missed, but never forgotten. #Dhoniforever," Nehwal wrote on her official Twitter handle. Wrestler Sushil Kumar, on the other hand, shared an old photo of himself with the Indian Team legend, pairing it with an emotional message for Dhoni.

Kumar is India's only two-time individual Olympic medallist. Sania Mirza, three-time Olympian and six-time Grand Slam winner, saluted one of her all-time favourite athletes and personality, adding that it was an honour to play for her country during the same era as him. Nehwal and Mirza also saluted Suresh Raina, who announced his retirement a few minutes after Dhoni. 

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MS Dhoni retires: Indian hockey team on MS Dhoni retirement

Indian hockey team captain Manpreet Singh paid his tributes on social media. His teammates, Rupinder Pal Singh and PR Sreejesh, also wished Dhoni a happy retirement on social media. Along with the hockey team, former world No. 1 men’s badminton player Kidambi Srikanth, wrestling star Bajrang Punia, sprinter Hima Das and two-time Asian Games silver medallist Dutee Chand were among other athletes who honoured the cricket legend. 

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MS Dhoni retirement: MS Dhoni career

MS Dhoni retired as the most successful captain in limited-over internationals with victories during the 2007 T20 World Cup, 2011 50-over World Cup and the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy. Dhoni last played for India in 2019 during the ICC World Cup Semi-Finals against New Zealand, which was his 350th ODI. He scored 50 off 72 balls before being run-out by Martin Guptill. While Dhoni has retired from international cricket, he will play another season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) for the Chennai Super Kings, which begins on September 19 against the Mumbai Indians in UAE. 

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(Image source: Sushil Kumar official Twitter, AP)