'Salute to one of India's greatest cricketers' - Ravi Shastri remembers MS Dhoni's 2011 World Cup-winning six

MS Dhoni, on Saturday, took the social media by storm by announcing his international retirement. The Indian stalwart took it to Instagram to share a video showing his cricketing journey and announce his departure from international cricket.

In no time, social media was flooded with lakhs of tributes for the Ranchi stalwart. Be it his batting expertise, glovework or leadership skills, Dhoni will go down as one of the best players in the history of Indian cricket.

Post Dhoni’s retirement, many former players paid tribute to him and wishes him luck for his future endeavours. Along with players and fans, India head coach Ravi Shastri also lauded Dhoni and labelled him as one of the best cricketers.

Massive boots to fill: Ravi Shastri on Dhoni’s departure

“Massive boots to fill. It’s been a privilege and honour to be part of the dressing room and seeing you as a thoroughbred professional at work. Salute one of India’s greatest cricketers. Second to none. Enjoy. God Bless MS DHONI,” wrote Shastri.

Massive boots to fill. It’s been a privilege and honour to be part of the dressing room and seeing you as a thoroughbred professional at work. Salute one of India’s greatest cricketers. Second to none. Enjoy. God Bless MS DHONI 🙏🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/n6CfDTvE9q

— Ravi Shastri (@RaviShastriOfc) August 15, 2020

Shastri shares Dhoni’s 2011 World Cup-winning six– a moment that is still fresh in the mind of every Indian fan. No Indin can forget the words of Shastri from the commentary box– “Dhoni finishes off in style. A magnificent strike into the crowd! India lift the World Cup after 28 years!”

Dhoni’s unbeaten 91-run knock was a key reason behind India basking in World Cup glory. Hunting down a challenging 275-run target, Dhoni had steered India past the finishing line at Wankhede.

Apart from Shastri, many players reminisced several on-field and off-field memories which they shared with Dhoni. India all-rounder Hardik Pandya also paid tribute to Dhoni and termed ‘Mahi’ as the biggest inspiration in his career. Pandya also thanked Dhoni for guiding him in his career and supporting him during his tough times.

“There’s only one #MSDhoni. Thank you my friend and elder brother for being the biggest inspiration in my career. Will miss playing with you in the blue jersey but am sure you will always be there for me and will keep guiding me,” wrote Pandya.

There’s only one #MSDhoni. Thank you my friend and elder brother for being the biggest inspiration in my career. Will miss playing with you in the blue jersey but am sure you will always be there for me and will keep guiding me 🙏🏾🇮🇳 #7 pic.twitter.com/Q3j9pbcOGy

— hardik pandya (@hardikpandya7) August 15, 2020

In a career spanning over 90 Tests, 350 ODIs and 98 T20Is, Dhoni scored more than 15,000 international runs. A young MS Dhoni steered India to the triumph in the inaugural T20 World Cup in South Africa and the rest is history. He eventually clinched the 2011 World Cup as well as the 2013 Champions Trophy, becoming the first skipper to achieve this impressive feat.