Indian star cricketer MS Dhoni to retire after the World Cup?

In what comes as a jolting piece of news to millions of Indian cricket fans across the globe, legendary cricketer MS Dhoni may hang his boots after the ongoing World Cup if the reports claiming his retirement are anything to go by. Grapevine suggests that India’s last game in this year’s showpiece event might end up being the farewell match for MS Dhoni in Indian colours.

“You never know with MS Dhoni. But it is unlikely that he will continue to play for India after this World Cup. But since his decisions to quit captaincy from the three formats have been taken so suddenly, it is very difficult to predict at the moment,” PTI quoted a BCCI official on the condition of anonymity.

While the news of MS Dhoni retirement pertains to just speculations and rumours as of now, there is no official word on the same yet. Also, given India’s qualification to the semi-finals, it is understood that none of the official committee members is likely to make a comment.

MS Dhoni has been receiving flak of late. The 37-year-old has caught the ire of several fans and experts after he failed to propel towards the end in India’s recent outing against England in the World Cup. The wicket-keeper batsman also drew criticism for his ‘sluggish approach’ and inability to rotate the strike when India locked horns with Afghanistan earlier in the tournament. Scoring 223 runs in 7 games in the tournament thus far, the former Indian skipper hasn’t hit the best of his forms. However, his latest knock of 35 (off 33 balls) against Bangladesh proved to be of significance as it helped the team get past the 300-run mark, despite losing its way in the latter half of the innings.

After thumping Bangladesh at Edgbaston on Tuesday, the Men in Blue will take on Sri Lanka at Leeds on Saturday before playing in the semis.