One of India's most prolific leaders, the tale of Dhoni from a Railway employee to a professional cricketer is the subject of legends.
World Cup-winning former India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni retired on Saturday from international cricket, ending over a year of excitement and also an period during which his sometimes unorthodox leadership and finishing abilities were the subject of legends.
"Thanks a lot for all of your affection and encouragement. Beginning in 1929, mark me retired, "Dhoni wrote on his Instagram account.
The declaration came a day after he joined his teammates for Chennai Super Kings in Chennai ahead of the UAE IPL this year.
After the failed World Cup semifinal versus New Zealand, the 39-year-old 's last appearance in India colours.
After a hard-earned 50 in that tense contest, one of the best runners between the wickets was run out, crushing Indian expectations and leaving him in a state of disbelief.
However, the reticent man from Ranchi will go down as one of the finest to have played the game for India, turning up in a whopping 350 ODIs, 90 Tests and 98 T20 Internationals for the republic.
The final leg of his career was marred by a drop in form which caused some critics to doubt his resolve to continue.
But he still signs off with 10,773 runs as an ODI hero, hitting more than 50 while batting a big chunk of his career between No.5 and 7.
Dhoni has scored 4876 runs in the Test format at an pace of 38.09 and guided India to more wins (27) than anyone else before him.
Considered by others to be a punter and by some others to be a professional strategist, it was Dhoni's captaincy, excellent reading of match conditions and the jaw-dropping hand-speed behind stumps that had mesmerized the cricket community.
Long after he gives up the leader's official title, a leader would recall Dhoni as the nonconformist, who made threats seem like well-thought-out policy.
Whether it handed the ball to rookie Joginder Sharma in the 2007 World T20 final, or moved himself ahead of Yuvraj Singh in the 2011 50-over World Cup, Dhoni 's intuition never failed him.
Of the record, on both times , India raised the cup, propelling him to celebrity status in a world that remains hopelessly in love with cricket all things.
The IPL was also his happy hunting ground where he was the respected 'Thala' which led to three trophies for the Chennai Super Kings.
The most notable of those titles came last season as the team returned to the event following a two-year absence because of the involvement of their representative Gurunath Meiyappan in the 2013 spot-fixing scandal.
ANUPAM SINGH
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