The night MS Dhoni didn’t take off his Indian Team jersey in Melbourne

It was December 2014. The Indian Cricket Team was touring Australia to play a Test series against the hosts to be followed by One Day International triangular series with the England cricket team.

MS Dhoni (C) leaves the field as the game is called off for a draw during day five of the Third Test match between Australia and India at MCG on Dec 30, 2014. Source: Scott Barbour/Getty Images

Highlights

• MS Dhoni announced his retirement from international cricket on August 15, 2020
• Under his captaincy, India lifted the 2007 ICC World Twenty20, 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup and the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy
• In 2013, India became the first team in more than 40 years to whitewash Australia in a Test series.

It was an unforgettable summer for both the cricket teams and their fans.

First, the Test series was played under the shadow of Phillip Hughes’ memories, who had recently died after he was hit in the neck by a bouncer at the Sydney Cricket Ground in November.

That summer of cricket also marked MS Dhoni’s shock retirement from Test cricket.

Dhoni was the Indian cricket captain when he announced his retirement from Test cricket with immediate effect following the draw in the third Test against Australia which confirmed a series loss Down Under.

MS Dhoni and Ravichandran Ashwin of India share a joke with David Warner of Australia after a draw on day five of the Third Test match at MCG on Dec 30, 2014. Source: Chris Hyde/Getty Images

It was at the Melbourne Cricket Ground and the date was December 30, 2014.

Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin was the last team member to bat alongside Dhoni on the day five of the Third Test match.

“I remember when he retired from Test cricket in 2014, I was batting with him to save the match in Melbourne. But once we lost, he simply picked up a stump and walked off saying he’s done. It was quite an emotional moment for him,” Ashwin has revealed in a video.

Within hours, the official announcement was made.

The Board of Cricket Control India (BCCI) announced MS Dhoni had chosen to retire from Test Cricket with ‘immediate effect in order to concentrate on ODI and T20 formats.’

The official release said Dhoni had decided to retire due to ‘strain of playing all formats of Cricket.’

But it was hard for the man to give up just yet under whose leadership India had become the No 1 Test team.

That night, he did not take off his Indian Team jersey.

“Ishant Sharma, Suresh Raina and I were sitting in his room that evening. He was still wearing his Test match jersey through the entire night and he shed a few tears as well,” Ashwin said.

Dhoni's Test career spanned 90 matches—60 as captain—in which he scored 4,876 runs at an average of 38.09. His highest score was 224 against Australia in 2013.

Earlier this month, Dhoni announced his retirement from international cricket.

‘Consider me as retired,’ the cricketer wrote on August 15, 2020, accompanied by a 4-minute video showcasing some of the best cricketing moments of his career.

MS Dhoni’s innings as the team’s captain saw India lift the 2007 ICC World Twenty20, 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup and the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy.

In 2013, under his captaincy, India became the first team in more than 40 years to whitewash Australia in a Test series.

In the Indian Premier League, he captained the Chennai Super Kings to victory at 2010, 2011 and 2018 seasons, along with wins in the 2010 and 2014 editions of Champions League Twenty20.

Dhoni also holds numerous captaincy records such as the most wins by an Indian captain in ODIs and T20Is, and most back-to-back wins by an Indian captain in ODIs. 

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