‘Suresh Raina started crying’: Axar Patel reveals Indian players’ reaction to MS Dhoni’s Test retirement

MS Dhoni completed shocked everyone, from the Indian cricket fans to his own teammate when he announced that he will retire from Test cricket on December 30, 2014. India were in Australia at the time, and the third Test match between the two nations had been drawn, after which Dhoni dropped the big bombshell. 

Indian all-rounder Axar Patel was on his maiden tour on national duty at the time, and he recently recalled the Indian players’ reaction after Ravi Shastri informed them about Dhoni’s decision on the second day of the third Test at MCG, down under. 

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Speaking on popular youtube show Breakfast with Champions, Patel revealed, “He announced it the next day itself, on the evening of the second day of the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne. The atmosphere had changed. Everyone was quiet and Ravi bhai called for a meeting. ‘Everybody… we have to make an announcement. Mahi is retiring’.”

He continued, “[Suresh] Raina started crying. I was like ‘What just happened? Everyone around me was tearing up. I was in another world, ‘What just happened? What is going on?”

Axar Patel further revealed how Dhoni has pulled his leg, that Axar, whose nickname is ‘Bapu’ made the veteran retire with his arrival. 

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“I didn’t even know what to say. It was the first time I was meeting Mahi bhai. But before I said anything, he only said: ‘Bapu… you arrived and made me leave? I was like ‘what did I do?’. Then I teared up… I just arrived and he is leaving. He said that he’s just joking and then hugged me,” added the 28-year-old. 

While Dhoni retired from Test cricket he continued to go strong for India until the 2019 ODI World Cup, which would prove to be his last bow for India. The 40-year-old announced his retirement from national duty in 2020, but continues to ply his trade for Chennai Super Kings in IPL. 

Axar meanwhile was picked up by the Delhi Capitals in the IPL 2022 mega auction.