July 10th, 2019 was the last time Mahendra Singh Dhoni played an innings donning India colours. It was the 2019 ODI World Cup semifinal against India's perpetual nemesis New Zealand.
Four years down the line, although Dhoni is not active on the international circuit, he's very much relevant and kicking in the IPL scheme of things, supremely fit and even more adored and loved by the fans all over India and especially by the Chennai Super Kings faithful.
The 2011 World Cup winning captain's longevity is no surprise given his peak fitness levels that are an inspiration to the emerging Indian players and cricket fans alike. Although, Indian cricket has moved on from that horror evening when Dhoni's run-out pretty much ended the country's promising World Cup campaign, the Ranchi man's absence is still felt in the Indian dressing room.
When MS Dhoni masterminded India's unlikely win over Bangladesh:
The cricketing knowledge and game awareness that Dhoni possesses is something that top Indian players like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma swear by. His advice and suggestions to the team in key moments and in crunch situations has been invaluable in delivering results for the team. The 2016 World T20 match against Bangladesh in Bengaluru when Hardik Pandya bowled the last over is an example. Dhoni's advise to the then inexperienced Pandya on bowling a little wide off the off stump paid dividends as the Bangladeshi batsmen struggled to cope with the line.
The game remains one of India's most memorable limited overs victories in the last 7-8 years and perhaps one of the closest considering the margin of victory. As 2011 World Cup winning coach Gary Kirsten once said, if there was one man he would want by his side when preparing for a war, then it would be MS Dhoni.
That perfectly sums up what Dhoni meant to his team-mates, captains and coaches in the cricketing scheme of things. The most complete reader of a game at any given point of time.
