MS Dhoni's childhood coach reveals what could have prompted him to announce his retirement

The greatest ever captain of the Indian cricket team, Mahendra Singh Dhoni finally bid adieu to his long, illustrated career on Saturday. The right-hander brought curtains to all the speculations of his comeback with a post on Instagram.

The conjectures about his retirement and potential comeback to the Indian team were there since he played his last game. Dhoni never said a single word about his future but the unexpressed sabbatical raised a lot of questions.

Now, the official retirement has also brought a lot of limelight on the wicket-keeper again. Though, he still didn’t reveal the reason behind the sabbatical, neither did he confided the reason behind the retirement. However, the first coach of Mahi has spoken about how the criticism about him coming back without playing a single game for a year could have played a role.

“Of late, there has been a lot of criticism about him in the media that how he can return to international cricket as he’s not played a single match since the 2019 World Cup semifinal in July. I don’t know but it may have played a role in this decision. Only he (Dhoni) can throw some light into it,” Banerjee said, as reported by NDTV Sports.

He could have played for one more year easily: Keshav Banerjee

Dhoni was seen training for Chennai Super Kings earlier this year. He was as fit as he has ever been and a lot of people think that he still could have played for one more year. The coach who brought him to cricket from football during his school days at the Jawahar Vidya Mandir in MECON also feels the same.

“Yes, I had said he could have played for one more year easily including the next T20 World Cup. And I still maintain that. Looking at his fitness level, he could have easily played. It’s not just my opinion but many others thought the same way,” an emotional Banerjee said.

“There is an end to everything. Yes, I’m heartbroken but, at the same time, you have to take control of your emotions,” he added.

His former coach was also asked how COVID-19, the pandemic could have affected his decision and Banerjee said that like every sportsman Dhoni is also affected by COVID-19. The speculations are still being made but the T20 World Cup has been postponed due to the pandemic and with Dhoni being 39 years of age this could have pushed the Ranchi Starwalt for taking the difficult call.

“He’s not the only sportsperson to be affected by the pandemic. All players are affected. It’s a hypothetical situation. T20 World Cup is postponed for now. He has made up his mind. It’s his decision. Like always this too was a surprise for all of us.”

When asked how eager would Dhoni be to perform well in the IPL, Banerjee said– “Only we will see how he will do. Every match is like an examination for a cricketer and everyone will see how he does for CSK this time.”