'Massive boots to fill': Ravi Shastri on Dhoni's retirement
Aug 15, 2020
New Delhi [India], Aug 15 : Ravi Shastri, the coach of the Indian men's cricket team on Saturday said it was a privilege for him to be in the same dressing room as wicket-keeper batsman MS Dhoni.
His remark came as Dhoni announced his retirement from international cricket, calling time on his 16-year long career.
Shastri shared the video from the finals of the 2011 World Cup where Dhoni hit the six to give India its second 50-over World Cup title.
When Dhoni, hit the six, Shastri was doing the on-air commentary and his line is still remembered by man as he famously said: "Dhoni finishes it off in style, a magnificent strike into the crowd, India lift the World Cup after 28 years, the party starts in the dressing room, and it is an Indian captain who has been absolutely magnificent on the night of the finals."
"Massive boots to fill. It's been a privilege and honour to be part of the dressing room and seeing you as a thoroughbred professional at work. Salute one of India's greatest cricketers. Second to none. Enjoy. God Bless MS DHONI," Shastri tweeted.
Dhoni, hailing from Ranchi, who made his ODI debut in 2004, changed the face of Indian cricket with his calm demeanour, sharp understanding of the game, and astute leadership qualities.
He is among the most successful captains in world cricket. It was under his leadership that India lifted the ICC Cricket World Cup in 2011 after having led India to triumph in the ICC World T20 in its maiden edition of the tournament held in 2007 in South Africa.
With India winning the ICC Champions Trophy in 2013 in England, Dhoni became the first and is still the only captain to date to have won all three ICC Trophies.
While his heroics in the limited-overs formats are well documented, it was also under his leadership that India became the number one Test side in 2009 and the team stayed at the top for over 600 days. He has led India to victory in 21 home Test matches, the most by an Indian captain.
Leaving behind a rich legacy that will be difficult to replicate, Dhoni holds the record for most international matches as captain (332).
Unarguably the quickest man behind the wicket, Dhoni has 195 international stumpings, the most by any wicket-keeper.
Dhoni played 350 ODIs with his highest score being 183 against Sri Lanka. Also referred to as 'Captain Cool', Dhoni is known for his calmness and exquisite captaincy on the field.
He was also known for his knack of opting for reviews and many have jokingly remarked to change the 'Decision-Review System's' name to 'Dhoni-Review System'.
In December 2014, he announced his retirement from Tests and gave a chance to the likes of Wriddhiman Saha. Dhoni called time on his Test career after playing 90 Tests, managing to score 4,876 runs at an average of 38.09. Then in 2017, he handed over the captaincy to Virat Kohli in the 50-over format.
Dhoni was slated to return to the cricket field on March 29 during the IPL's opening match between CSK and Mumbai Indians. However, the tournament will now be played in the UAE from September 19 to November 10.
He will continue to captain CSK in the IPL 2020.
