MS Dhoni's manager reveals MASSIVE reason behind timing of CSK captain's retirement

Legendary Indian cricketer MS Dhoni called it quits from international cricket on Saturday, thereby bringing an end to a glorious career that spanned nearly 16 years. The CSK captain, who hung his boots from the longest format of the game in 2014, decided to call it a day from the limited-overs formats as well. However, Dhoni is expected to lead Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the upcoming IPL 2020, which is set to be played in the UAE from September 19.

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MS Dhoni retirement: CSK captain's manager reveals reason behind veteran's retirement on August 15

MS Dhoni announced his retirement through a video on Instagram which featured the top moments of his cricketing journey since making his debut in 2004. He captioned the video, "Thanks. Thanks a lot for ur love and support throughout. From 1929 hrs consider me as Retired." As soon as MS Dhoni announced his retirement, social media went berserk as wishes from all over the world started pouring in.

The 39-year old announced his retirement from international cricket in a bizarre manner. Some fans wondered why did MS Dhoni announce that he is retired from '1929 hours' while others wondered why did he wait till August 15 if he played his last game more than a year ago. There have been a lot of conjectures about the same and now MS Dhoni's business manager, Mihir Diwakar has revealed the reason behind the former gloveman announcing his retirement on August 15 on India's 73rd Independence Day.

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According to India Today, Mihir Diwakar said that Dhoni's career was dedicated entirely to India and he is a true patriot of the nation. Diwakar added that there could have been no bigger day than August 15 to say goodbye to the game on international level. Diwakar also revealed that discussions about Dhoni's retirement were ongoing but the date was not decided. He further said that Dhoni's main priority now is the IPL.

There was a lot of speculation regarding Dhoni's retirement. The veteran stumper had been on a sabbatical since India's heartbreaking exit from the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019. Since then, the Ranchi lad had not featured in any competitive game which further fueled rumours about his retirement.

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It was said that MS Dhoni would play in the T20 World Cup 2020 which was supposed to take place in Australia, however, the marquee event was postponed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. MS Dhoni is currently in Chennai for a training camp ahead of IPL 2020. The CSK captain would leave for the UAE to feature in the IPL 2020 probably on August 21 where he would look to guide CSK to their fourth IPL title.

MS Dhoni stats

The MS Dhoni stats are nothing short of spectacular, especially in the limited-overs formats. MS Dhoni stats include the 350 ODIs he played for Indian where he scored 10,773 runs at a staggering average of 50.58 and a strike-rate of 87.56. The CSK captain has 73 fifties and 10 centuries to his name in his ODI career. On the other hand, the Ranchi lad played 98 T20Is for India where he notched 1,617 runs at an average of 37.6 and a strike-rate of 126.13.

These MS Dhoni stats also include 90 Test appearances where he amassed 4,876 runs at an average of 38.09. The 39-year-old scored 33 fifties, six hundreds and one double-hundred in a decade-long Test career.

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IMAGE COURTESY: AP