img source:crictracker.com
Ishant Sharma recalls MS Dhoni’s words before his test retirement
Ishant will become just the eleventh Indian to play 100 or more tests. As he gears up for his milestone match, He revealed why his former India captain MS Dhoni did not join the 100-Test Club. Dhoni ended his test career in 2014 with 90 test matches to his name.
“Although he was close to 100 Tests, he was always a team man. I remember he told me when we were in England that it is not important for him to play hundred Tests. Instead, he felt that we need to start grooming (Wriddhiman) Saha. That’s why he took the sudden decision to retire, I feel,” Ishant Sharma told Ashwin.
I felt very bad (on MS Dhoni’s retirement). I had taken many injections for that Melbourne Test match because I was experiencing severe pain in my knee. I did not know that Mahi bhai was going to retire. In fact, nobody knew that he was going to retire. So, I was taking an injection every session,” Ishant added.
“When it was almost Tea on Day 4, and Australia were about to declare I told Mahi bhai that I cannot take injections anymore. So, he told me, that’s okay. You don’t need to bowl now. Then something happened, and he told me, ‘lambu tune mujhe Test match mein chhod diya’ (you have deserted me in a Test match). I did not understand. Then he elaborated, ‘you left me midway in my last Test match’.
“I was stunned. I told him if I knew I would definitely have continued to play. So that was a really touching story. I didn’t know till the last day that he was retiring,” he concluded.
