by Legendary Indian wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni went down memory lane and recalled a special moment in his career when his gesture for Sourav Ganguly won everyone’s hearts. Dhoni made his India debut under Ganguly’s leadership and later there was a role reversal for the duo as the latter retired.
However, Dhoni decided to undo the situation and handed over the captaincy back to Ganguly during his farewell Test against Australia in 2008. Before the match in Nagpur, Ganguly had already announced that it would be the last match of his career and the legendary wicketkeeper decided to pay a special tribute to a player under whose captaincy he made his international debut.
At a recent promotional event, Dhoni recalled the moment and revealed the reason behind his decision to hand over the captaincy to Ganguly for the final session of the game.
“As one of the greatest captains India has ever produced, what better farewell could you give from your side?” remarked Dhoni. “On the last day (of his career) he is standing on a Test pitch and playing the game. If he can step away from leadership for a while, why not? It doesn’t really change the outcome of the game. “That was the reason for it,” Dhoni added.
However, Dhoni said he was not sure if Ganguly enjoyed it as it was not planned and he did it all of a sudden as the result of the match was not at stake.
“I don’t know if he enjoyed it or not because it was very sudden. It wasn’t planned, like, ‘This is what you should do.'” I thought that would be the best way for him to say goodbye, leading on the field. Even if it’s just 15 to 20 minutes, why not,” he added.
MS Dhoni is hoping for a possible IPL return for the 2025 season
Dhoni has hinted at a possible return to IPL 2025, saying he wants to “enjoy all the years of cricket he can play” amid speculation over his availability for the upcoming season.
“I just want to enjoy what I have been able to play cricket over the last few years,” Dhoni said at a promotional event in Goa a few days ago.
