“I made the announcement a year later but that day, I retired” - MS Dhoni opens up on 2019 World Cup heartbreak

Indian cricket legend MS Dhoni has opened up on the disappointment of the painful loss to New Zealand in the 2019 World Cup semi-final in Manchester. Asked about former batting coach Sanjay Bangar’s revelation that Dhoni, Hardik Pandya, and Rishabh Pant were in tears after India’s defeat, the former captain stated that it’s hard to control emotions after losing close matches.

Virat Kohli-led Team India were one of the strongest sides in the 2019 World Cup in England. They cruised to the semi-finals, where they went down to New Zealand by 18 runs.

Chasing a target of 240, India recovered from a disastrous start of 5/3 courtesy of a 116-run seventh-wicket stand between Dhoni (50) and Ravindra Jadeja (77). However, Dhoni was run out by a brilliant direct hit from Martin Guptill after which India’s tail succumbed under pressure.

Speaking at an event in Bengaluru on Thursday, Dhoni opened up on how the team dealt with the heartbreak of losing yet another ICC knockout game.

“It’s difficult to control emotions when you lose close games. I keep my plans ready for every game and for me, it was the last game I played for India. I made the announcement a year later but that day, I retired,” he said.

“We were given some gadgets from the trainer and every time I went to him, I handed those gadgets back but he was like, ‘No, no… just keep it.” And I thought, how should I tell him that it wasn’t needed anymore, because I didn’t want to announce then,” the former Indian captain added.

The 2019 World Cup semi-final was Dhoni’s last match for India. He officially announced his retirement from international cricket on August 15, 2020.

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“You are high on emotions that time” - Dhoni on retirement

Sharing his thoughts about retirement, Dhoni admitted that it’s a difficult and emotional phase for an athlete since playing a sport is all that he or she has done over the last many years.

“When you are high on emotions and the only thing you have done in the last 12-15 years is playing cricket, and then there’s no more chance of representing your country. It’s a thing with sportspersons. So, once I quit cricket, there was no way I could be representing my country again and bring that glory back. So, you are high on emotions that time,” Dhoni said.

The legendary keeper-batter has continued captaining Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the Indian Premier League (IPL), leading them to title triumphs in 2021 and 2023.