India's World Cup Winning Captain M S Dhoni Announces Retirement From International Cricket

Cricketing legend Mahendra Singh Dhoni who led India to glory in the T-20 and ODI world cups, today (15 August) announced his retirement from International Cricket.

"Thanks a lot for ur love and support throughout.from 1929 hrs consider me as Retired", Dhoni wrote on Instagram accompanied by a montage of his international cricket memories.

The 39-year-old Ranchi born Dhoni first achieved national adulation as a 24-year-old when he scored 148 runs of just 123 balls against Pakistan in 2005 to help India post a commanding score of 356. He then went on to score 183 against Sri-Lanka a few months later to single-handedly help India chase down a score of 298 runs. It remains his highest ODI score.

His place was cemented in India's cricketing history when he led the nation to glory in the maiden T-20 world cup in 2007.

He was subsequently made the India's ODI captain soon after the T-20 world cup win and took over the Test captaincy in November 2008. Under his leadership India lifted the World Cup in 2011 after a gap of 28 years, with Dhoni himself hitting the winning shot before a rapturous home crowd in Mumbai.

Dhoni's rise on the global cricketing scene was also considered significant as a result of his humble beginnings as a small city boy - a contrast with most cricketing stars who grew up in large cities.

Dhoni also earned praise from his peers for his composure and ability to perform under high-pressure games. This personality trait of Dhoni also earned him the nickname "Captain Cool".

Dhoni retired from Test cricket in 2014 and handed over the captaincy of ODI and T-20 formats to Virat Kohli in 2017. Dhoni remains the only Indian captain to have led the country to two world cup wins.