Subramanian Swamy tells MS Dhoni to fight 2024 Lok Sabha elections; explains precisely why

Reacting on former India cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni's retirement from international cricket, senior BJP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Dr Subramanian Swamy on Sunday said that the two-time World Cup winning skipper should fight Lok Sabha General Elections in 2024.

Taking to Twitter, Swamy said that Dhoni is retiring from cricket "but not from anything else." The BJP leader said Dhoni's talent to be able to fight against odds and his "inspiring leadership" of a team that he has demonstrated in cricket is needed in public life and thus he should fight the elections.

'Retiring from cricket but not from anything else'

MS Dhoni announced his retirement from international cricket on Saturday via an Instagram post. "Thanks a lot for ur love and support throughout. from 1929 hrs consider me as Retired (sic)", read his post of the formal announcement.

MS Dhoni had earlier quit Test cricket in 2014 after the Melbourne Test on the tour of Australia and had handed over ODI and T20I captaincy to Virat Kohli in January 2017. However, Dhoni will lead the Chennai Super Kings in the upcoming IPL 2020 which has been moved to the UAE due to the COVID pandemic.

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'It is an end of an era'

"It is the end of an era," said BCCI president Sourav Ganguly. "What a player he has been for the country and world cricket. His leadership qualities have been something that will be hard to match, especially in the shorter format of the game. His batting in one-day cricket in his early stages made the world stand up and notice his flair and sheer natural brilliance. Every good thing comes to an end and this has been an absolutely brilliant one. He has set the standards for the wicketkeepers to come and make a mark for the country. He will finish with no regrets on the field. An outstanding career; I wish him the best in life."

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Dhoni, an ODI legend signed off with 10,773 runs, averaging more than 50 despite batting between No.5 and 7 for a major chunk of his career. In the Test format, from which he retired in 2014, Dhoni accumulated 4876 runs at an average of 38.09 and led India to more wins (27) than anyone else before him.

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However, runs are not the parameter on which Dhoni's career can be truly judged. Considered a punter by some and a master strategist by several others, it was Dhoni's captaincy, wondrous reading of match situations and the jaw-dropping hand-speed behind stumps that had the cricket world mesmerised.

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(With agency inputs)