Even though an end of an era moment awaits the ardent fans and followers of the gentlemen’s game who are expected to fall under an abyss whenever MS Dhoni calls time on his illustrious career, a simple hashtag clubbed with two words were enough to send them in a freak meltdown on Tuesday. The hashtag #MSDhoniretires assembled a legion of Dhoni followers overnight to hold a debate on the former Indian skipper’s retirement rumours. The hashtag was aimed at Dhoni’s much talked about retirement plans, something the Indian wicket-keeper is yet to address in public.
Will Dhoni call it quits this year or next is a decision that should be left to the man himself. At a time when the veteran wicket-keeper batsman is keen on making the most from his approved sabbatical from the gentlemen’s game, fans and critics of the game are cashing in on the opportunity to remain vocal about his retirement. Dhoni’s retirement speculations surfaced on social media and more fuel was added to the fire by Twitterati, who paved the way for the topic become a trending one in India.
The #MSDhoniretires was second most talked or tweet-about topic on Twitter yesterday. From MSD’s quotes to his famous six that he struck against Sri Lanka in India’s 2011 World Cup final triumph at the iconic Wankhede, almost every Dhoni valuable was on display in the form of tweets. However, while the rumours of his retirement trended in India, the 38-year-old batsman is still yet to announce whether he plans to stay active in the gentlemen’s game or not.
The twin World Cup-winning captain’s last international appearance for India came in the 2019 World Cup semi-final against New Zealand at Old Trafford. India’s devastating World Cup exit at the hands of New Zeland still remains Dhoni’s last appearance and since then, the legendary cricketer has activated his sabbatical mode which saw him skip bilateral series with West Indies, South Africa and Bangladesh.
