Mahendra Singh Dhoni has officially retired from Test cricket. This mammoth announcement was made as soon as the third Test Match between India and Australia ended in a draw. As unexpected it was, it was only Captain Cool who could make such a big decision with so much ease. I’m still a little shocked while writing this… Dhoni was one of the few captains who magically made our cricket team win even when we were stuck in the most pathetic situations. His unconventional batting (one of his trademark shots was called the ‘helicopter shot‘), his out of the box decisions and his amazingly cool temperament in high pressure situations made him the most successful captain of our country and I know we will always be thankful for the day MSD was chosen to lead India. Here are some of the reactions we saw on Twitter:
1) There seems to be sadness everywhere
Why you going this, Dhoni?
2) People aren’t afraid to show how heartbroken they are
Why, why?
3) We were all reminded of our old age
The T20 World Cup (where Dhoni showed he’s the perfect captain) happened 7 years ago! Wow.
4) Of course, there was talk on how Virat Kohli is going to handle captaincy
#MundeyanTohBachkeRahin
5) And what the BCCI will now stand for
Profound.
6) People were thankful for his contribution
No pressure for World Cup 2015 Dhoni, no pressure.
7) While some knew the REAL cause of his retirement
The only match that matters.
8) Actions really do speak louder than words
#NuffSaid
9) It is a universally acknowledged fact that reaching his level will be a tough task indeed
O Captain! My Captain!
10) Nobody forgot how respectful Dhoni is…
The perfect sportsman, team-player and human being.
11) And there were talks of some onions being cut somewhere
Really don’t know why there my eyes are watering either!
12) Last, but not the least, no one forgot how important he was for bringing back the World Cup
The six that got us our second ODI World Cup in 2011.
Hashtags like #Respect and #ThankYouMSD are trending right now – just shows how much love we have for Dhoni in our hearts. Thank you, Captain.