When you came with that long flowing hair and ungainly movement behind the stumps, I never thought you would last so long.
I never thought you would become a captain.
Honestly I did not consider you fit to be a captain!
But I am happy in confessing without any shame that you proved me wrong on every count.
It is not proving me wrong which will remain in my mind, but the legacy you leave behind.
Winning Test series, World Cups both T20/50 overs is a great record which will be cherished by every Indian.
A unique batting style. As if you were scooping your favourite dish from a dinner plate.
Was it ice cream that every ball reminded you of ?
But not getting out and scoring runs is what mattered and you came out with flying colours on all counts.
That lovely helicopter shot!
Those brilliant thought-out stumpings, waiting patiently for the batsman (fractions of a second) to lift his legs, the forceful running between wickets and making run-scoring look easy, are but a few legacies you leave behind which most players will refrain from emulating.
Have a great retired life, though I suspect we will see more of you in various T20 leagues the world over, to give competition to the likes of Russel and De Villiers. What a man! What a career! What a legacy!
Dhoni the whole country will join me in saluting you.
You have stumped them when they were least expecting.
Thanks on behalf of the entire country in showing us what a dedicated player can do.
Very important when the entire country talks of nepotism.
Forget talent. Sheer hard work. Unique out of the box thinking. Simply outstanding.
Thank you Mahendra Singh Dhoni for having made it obvious to every small town player that with dedication and diligence the sky is the limit.
The sport of cricket and the entire country are beneficiaries due to what you leave behind as a legacy.
Thank you MSD from the bottom of my heart.
Bhoopal Sreenivasan
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