CSK opener Ruturaj Gaikwad opens the exact scenario of the dressing room of CSK when MS Dhoni announces his announcement without any pre notification.
Ruturaj Gaikwad on MS Dhoni retirement
The legendary Indian wicketkeeper batsman and Chennai Super Kings skipper MS Dhoni announced his retirement on August 15, 2020 from international cricket.
It was through social media that CSK players got to know about the former skipper’s retirement. When Ruturaj was questioned regarding Dhoni’s retirement from Indian Premier League (IPL), the opener revealed that nobody knows what goes in the mind of the CSK skipper.
“I don’t have any idea about that (if MS Dhoni will retire before next year’s IPL). Because I remember he announced his (international) retirement on 15th August last year. On that day, we were 10-12 people in Chennai practicing just before leaving Dubai.
“Around 6:30 pm our practice got over and at 7:00 we all, including Mahi Bhai, sat for dinner. And suddenly someone told me on Instagram that Mahi Bhai had announced his retirement! There was no vibe that something like that was going to happen, no discussions, no one knew anything at all. So, you never know with him. Anything can happen,” Ruturaj Gaikwad was quoted as saying by India TV.
Ruturaj Gaikwad notched up 196 runs in seven games with two half-centuries before IPL 2021 was suspended due to rising COVID-19 cases in India.
The Maharashtra opener revealed that nobody had the guts to ask anything from Dhoni related to his retirement.
All the players were quite shocked and it took them around three to four days to sink in the news. Along with Dhoni, Suresh Raina also announced his retirement via his Instagram handle.
“I couldn’t dare to ask him because we all were still grieving. It didn’t sink in immediately that we won’t see him again in international cricket or that a man of his stature has retired like this. It took 2-3 days to realize it. Not only me but for everyone present there,” Ruturaj claimed.
Postponed IPL 2021 has been decided to stage in UAE in the mid of September 2021.
