So long\, Mahi! Twitter bids farewell to Dhoni

On Saturday, the heartthrob of millions of Indians, legendary cricketer and ace batsman MS Dhoni, popularly known as the ‘Captain Cool’, sent the Twitterverse into a frenzy by announcing his retirement. Putting the speculations which had been doing the rounds ever since the batsman played the World Cup semi-final against New Zealand in 2019 to rest, the cricketer took to social media to announce his retirement from International cricket.

Much like his on-field endeavours, Captain Cool managed to finish off in style, off-field too! The batsman posted a video montage of some of the most-memorable moments of his career with the song ‘ Mai pal do pal ka shayar hu’ from Amitabh Bachchan starrer film 'Kabhie Kabhie' (1976) playing in the background. ‘Thanks a lot for ur love and support throughout.from 1929 hrs consider me as Retired,’ wrote Dhoni in the caption.
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Thanks a lot for ur love and support throughout.from 1929 hrs consider me as Retired

A post shared by M S Dhoni (@mahi7781) on


In no time, Mahi’s announcement went viral as famous personalities - from B-Town to cricket fraternity, shared their thoughts on what they called, ‘the end of an era’.

Dhoni’s wife, Sakshi Dhoni, in a no-holds-barred post, wrote how she is proud of Dhoni and his accomplishments. Sharing an image of Dhoni’s grey hair, Sakshi wrote ‘I am sure you must have held those tears to say goodbye to your passion.’

Quoting Maya Angelou, Sakshi said that people will always remember how Dhoni made them feel.

Master-blaster Sachin Tendulkar, shared a throwback picture with Dhoni from the 2011 World Cup and wished the ace cricketer all the best for retirement, which he called Dhoni’s ‘2nd innings’.


Virendra Sehwag, shared an image of Dhoni in a stadium and wrote, ‘ Na Koi Hai,Na Koi Tha, Na Koi Hoga MS ke jaisa.’

In another tweet, Sehwag wrote how Dhoni’s retirement is not the ‘azaadi’ cricket lovers wanted.

The captain of the Indian cricket team, skipper Virat Kohli, said what Dhoni has done for the country will remain in everyone’s heart. ‘Thanks for everything skip. I tip my hat to you,’ wrote Kohli.

Cricketer-turned-politician Gautam Gambhir, in a heartfelt tweet, said that the new phase of retirement ‘is as exciting’. On a light-hearted note, Gambhir wrote ‘there is no limit to DRS here’.

‘Thanks Mahi bhai for everything you have done for the country!’ wrote Shikhar Dhawan in his tweet.

‘Unforgettable in blue. See you in yellow,’ wrote commentator Harsha Bhogle in his tweet.
Home Minister Amit Shah wrote that the world would miss MS Dhoni's helicopter shots.


Several brands, the likes of Amul, Zomato and Netflix India also paid homage to Dhoni, who has been one of the most influential figures in cricket history.

Amul posted a video montage of all its topical cartoons that have featured Dhoni since 2008 and wished him all the best for the next innings of his life.
Zomato India, in order to help those coping with Dhoni’s retirement, wrote ‘we’ve got comfort food if anyone needs it’.
Netflix India, asked its followers, ‘how do we stop these tears that are now streaming???’
Several B-Town stars, too, sent out tweets to wish the 39-year-old all the best for his future endeavours.

Actor Farhan Akhtar thanked Dhoni for years of cricket glory, great captaincy and nail-biting finishes.
‘No retirement from our hearts,’ wrote Riteish Deshmukh in a tweet.
Ranveer Singh commented on Dhoni’s post, writing, “LOVE YOU MAHI BHAI, THANK YOU FOR MAKING US SO PROUD.”

Randeep shared a picture of Dhoni and wrote, “Nooooo !!! You’ve always known the best .. Thanks for the entertainment.”

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Wishes Pour In

Tuesday saw wishes pour in aplenty for India’s original ‘Captain Cool’ as he turned a year older. Mahendra Singh Dhoni may have been away from the sporting arclights - he hasn't played any international cricket since July 2019 when India lost to New Zealand in the ICC World Cup semis - but he remains entrenched in public memory.

Colleagues from the cricket dressing room, buddies from the IPL Chennai Super Kings dugouts, seniors from another era, commentators, fans, and his better-half joined the bandwagon to ring in the enigmatic cricketer’s 39th, virtually.