Lata Mangeshkar requests MS Dhoni to not retire yet, the game needs his experience

MS Dhoni fell tantalizingly short of taking Indian team into the final of the ICC World Cup 2019, despite making a half-century in a closely contested semi-final against New Zealand. However, the Men in Blue were defeated by 18 runs, as Kiwis made their second consecutive finals.

The wicketkeeper-batsman played a crucial role in the Indian chase, as Ravindra Jadeja took on the New Zealand bowlers and smashed an amazing 77, adding 116 runs with Dhoni. The duo’s counter-attack enabled India to bounce back from 24/4 and helped the team reach the doorsteps of victory. Some of the fans blamed Dhoni for batting slowly, which put pressure of Jadeja and he lost his wicket at a crucial stage of the match.

Lata Mangeshkar requests Dhoni to not retire

There have been rumours that MS Dhoni might call it time on his international career after the end of India’s World Cup campaign. The 38-year-old has been under fire for his slow batting throughout the tournament, especially after the England match, during which Dhoni and Kedar Jadhav didn’t try to give the stiff task of chasing over 100 runs in the last 10 overs a shot.

His falling strike rate and growing dependency on his partners to finish the game was a point of contention before the World Cup as well, as he could no longer finish games on his own, but still liked to take the match to the final over, sometime putting undue pressure on the batsman at the other end.

Now with India’s World Cup hopes dashed and next series scheduled against West Indies, many are believing that Dhoni could make the announcement of hanging up his gloves anytime. However, Bharat Ratna award winner and one of the legends of the music industry in India, Lata Mangeshkar has asked the two-time World Cup-winning captain to not retire and reconsider if he has made the decision.

Mangeshkar tweeted, “Namaskar M S Dhoni ji.Aaj kal main sun rahi hun ke Aap retire hona chahte hain.Kripaya aap aisa mat sochiye.Desh ko aap ke khel ki zaroorat hai aur ye meri bhi request hai ki Retirement ka vichar bhi aap mann mein mat laayiye @msdhoni”

Namaskar M S Dhoni ji.Aaj kal main sun rahi hun ke Aap retire hona chahte hain.Kripaya aap aisa mat sochiye.Desh ko aap ke khel ki zaroorat hai aur ye meri bhi request hai ki Retirement ka vichar bhi aap mann mein mat laayiye.@msdhoni

— Lata Mangeshkar (@mangeshkarlata) July 11, 2019

Also read – After World Cup exit, Indian team management could face volley of uncomfortable questions

Dhoni has completed his 350 ODI matches and at the age of 38, there is little left for him to achieve on the field. There are glaring shortcomings in his game now and he himself knows the best time to retire given that he shocked his fans and other cricketers alike, by calling time on his Test career abruptly in 2014.