Ravi Shastri said – Dhoni’s sudden decision to retire was courageous and selfless

Ravi Shastri on MS Dhoni Retirement: Indian cricket team coach Ravi Shastri says that former captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s sudden decision to retire from Test cricket was a courageous and selfless step. Shastri also said that Dhoni had played 90 Tests in 2014, but he did not wait to play 100 Tests. If he wanted, he would have retired after playing 100 Tests.

In his book Stargazing: The Players in My Life, Shastri wrote, “Dhoni was the greatest player not only in India but in the world at that time, having three ICC trophies to his name, including two World Cups. He was in good form and he There were only 10 matches away from completing 100 Tests.

He further wrote, “Dhoni was in the top three fit players of the team and he had a chance to boost his career. It is true that he was not too young, but not that old either. His decision did not make sense. “

The former India all-rounder, who has written about several players in his book, said he tried to persuade the former India wicket-keeper to reconsider his decision. However, he feels that Dhoni took the right decision by sticking to it. Shastri was in the role of team director when Dhoni had retired.

Shastri wrote, “All cricketers say landmarks and milestones don’t matter. I approached the issue and was trying to make him (Dhoni) change his mind. But there was a firmness in Dhoni’s tone that made me take the matter to heart.” Stopped from pursuing it. Looking back, I think his decision was right, bold and selfless.”

He said, “It is not that easy to leave the most powerful position in cricket. Dhoni is an unconventional cricketer. His technique behind and in front of the wicket is not broken. My suggestion to the youngsters is that till it comes naturally Till then don’t try to imitate them.”

Shastri said, “No wicketkeeper who played during Dhoni’s time was so quick. He was the best cricketer in the world for a long time. Dhoni was quick in observing what was happening on the field and when reading the trend of the game.” He was awkward when it came to taking decisions based on that.”

The coach said, “His quality was not noticed much because he used to make fewer mistakes. His success with the decision review system showed not only good judgment, but also how well he was behind the stumps to make calls. were in position.” Shastri described Dhoni as one of the three most influential Indian cricketers apart from Sachin Tendulkar and Kapil Dev.