Sharad Pawar reminisces long association with MS Dhoni as former captain bids farewell

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar on Saturday heaped praises on former Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni for his contribution to the sport. The two-time World Cup winner 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.

'His contribution to cricket is unique & inspiring'

Pawar, a former BCCI president took to Twitter said that in appointing MS Dhoni as captain "we were sure" he would be one of India's most successful captains. "His contribution to cricket is unique and inspiring, and his record exemplary. My good wishes will always be with him," Pawar added.

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar extended best wishes to the cricketer.

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)