Why even talk about MS Dhoni’s retirement? Javed Akhtar hits out at critics

Over quite some, there have been talks about MS Dhoni and his retirement from international cricket. The veteran, who turned 38 a few days ago, recently plied his trade in the 2019 World Cup and had to face a lot of flak from the public. However, Dhoni has been showered with love and appreciation for being an indefatigable servant of Indian cricket.

In the mega event in England and Wales, the veteran campaigner in Blue could only manage 273 runs in nine matches at an average of 45.50. But he was at times blamed for not showing enough intent and going into his shell at a time when acceleration was needed. In the important semi-final against New Zealand at the Old Trafford in Manchester, Dhoni was the need of the hour.

He came to bat at No. 7 after Rishabh Pant’s wicket. The Men in Blue required 169 runs in 27.1 overs with half-the-side already back in the hut. Dhoni didn’t play any shot out of anger and gave the strike to Hardik Pandya and then Ravindra Jadeja. After Dhoni and Jadeja added 116 for the seventh wicket, Trent Boult removed the latter and the pressure was on Dhoni.

Dhoni was there in the middle until the penultimate over. To his agony, Martin Guptill pulled off a stunning direct hit and Dhoni had to walk back, leaving India’s hopes of a Finals berth behind. In his knock, Dhoni could only score 50 off 72 with one four and a six.

Javed Akhtar in support of MS Dhoni

In the meantime, amidst all the speculations about Dhoni’s retirement, Javed Akhtar, the renowned Indian poet and lyricist, backed Dhoni, saying that there’s a lot of cricket left in him. The 74-year-old also asked the critics to stop the commotion about when Dhoni will bid adieu.

He took to Twitter and wrote, “As a middle-order batsman or a WK MS Dhoni is totally dependable n trustworthy. Virat is graceful enough to accept that Dhoni’s understanding of the game is an advantage for the team. One can see that a lot of cricket is still left in Him. Why even talk about his retirement,”

Here is Javed Akhtar’s tweet