'There’s only one MS Dhoni' - Hardik Pandya pays tribute to Mahi as he announces international retirement

Former India skipper MS Dhoni, on Saturday, announced his retirement from international cricket. To announce his decision, Dhoni shared a video on Instagram and thanked his fans for their love and support. Amid his absence from international cricket, many speculations had been circulating on the internet.

Dhoni finally cleared the air and announced the news of his international departure on August 15th through Instagram. Social media, in no time, was flooded with 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 Indian cricket history.

Post Dhoni’s retirement, many former players paid tribute to him and reminisced several on-field and off-field memories. India all-rounder Hardik Pandya also paid tribute to Dhoni and tagged ‘Mahi’ as the biggest inspiration in his career. Sharing many pictures with Ranchi stalwart, Pandya also thanked Dhoni for guiding him in his career.

Will miss playing with you: Hardik 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,” 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

Dhoni, who had last donned the India jersey in India’s 2019 World Cup oust, had kept mum over his international future. Amid his absence, Dhoni’s retirement rumours were constantly doing rounds on social media. Many had even predicted that Dhoni’s appearance in the semi-final of 2019 World Cup was his last outing for India.

Amid the coronavirus lockdown, Dhoni was spending time with his family at Ranchi farmhouse. On his birthday on July 7th, Hardik had even visited him to celebrate the occasion.

In a career spanning over 90 Tests, 350 ODIs and 98 T20Is, Dhoni scored more than 15,000 international runs. Along with his playing skills, Dhoni also proved his exemplary leadership by clinching the T20 World Cup (2007), ODI World Cup (2011) and Champions Trophy (2013). He’s the only skipper to have lifted all three ICC trophies.

Dhoni is currently involved in the CSK training camp ahead of IPL 2020. All eyes will be on Dhoni to lead the Chennai franchise to their fourth IPL title in the much-awaited IPL 2020 in UAE. Dhoni, along with his CSK teammates, is slated to fly to the UAE on August 21 after finishing their training camp.