No, MS Dhoni Is Not Retiring just yet: How speculation began & ended

On Thursday, Virat Kohli posted a picture of him and MS Dhoni from a match they played in the ICC World T20 2016. However, a simple throwback post on social media ended up sparking a full-fledged theory that took the internet by storm. Social media users alleged that Virat's picture was actually a cryptic tribute to MS Dhoni and that Dhoni is now retiring. All of a sudden, users started tweeting about a press conference that Dhoni was going to hold at 7 pm to announce his exit from the gentleman's game. If you are a Dhoni fan, everything you have read before this sentence has probably left you baffled. But do not worry! We have a pretty solid proof that MS Dhoni is not retiring. And there are no official reports of the said press conference yet.

Why Is Dhoni’s Retirement Being Speculated?

38-year-old MS Dhoni is a legendary player without a doubt. The man who dawns the Number 7 jersey has taken the Indian team to heights that were never reached before. He has led India to win the 50-over World Cup in 2011, the 20-over World Cup in 2007, and the Champions Trophy in 2013. The sensational wicket-keeper batsman has nothing left to achieve, and his game sense is still above most. The speculations started during the recently concluded World Cup where Dhoni could not contribute much with his bat.

ALSO READ: Lt Col MS Dhoni's stint with 106th battalion of Territorial Army ends, cricketer reunites with family in New Delhi: Sources

Social media and cricket experts started speculating that Dhoni could be out of the team soon as his performance is not up to par anymore. 21-year-old Rishabh Pant was a unanimous choice when people were trying to predict who would fill Dhoni's shoes in the Indian cricket team. After the World Cup, India was going to tour the West Indies, but Dhoni made himself unavailable for the tour. Dhoni, an honorary Lieutenant Colonel, was choosing to serve his regiment in the territorial army instead.

This prompted people to speculate that Dhoni was retiring from international cricket and this move was his signal towards the same. South Africa is touring India for a T20 series with the first match being played on the 15th of September and Dhoni made himself unavailable for this series, as well. This prompted people to believe further that Dhoni is retiring. On Thursday, when Virat posted the photo with Dhoni, people started talking about the post being a cryptic tribute to Dhoni, and reports of a 'press conference' began circulating on the internet. But then, people close to Dhoni started speaking up, and it was very evident that these reports were just rumours after all.

ALSO READ: MS Dhoni's exclusion in SA T20Is does not surprise Sourav Ganguly

Wife Sakshi Speaks Up

Dhoni's wife, Sakshi, tweeted a three-word tweet that settled all the rumours - at least from her side. Sakshi's tweet was aimed at the reports that were doing rounds, and her answer was pretty straightforward. "Its called rumours!" Sakshi tweeted. She was trying to imply that people should not worry too much about these rumours that keep popping up almost every second day.

ALSO READ: 'Your toy is finally here,' says Sakshi, who is missing Dhoni as she welcomes his new 'red beast'

Team Speaks Up

At this point, all of us know that Dhoni is a hero in his IPL home of Chennai. MSD is considered to be a legend, and his retirement news would only cause devastation in fans' minds. His team stood up to the occasion and tweeted a cryptic tweet that read, "Not 7oday." This was a clever signal towards the player who wears the number 7 jersey. Some people were still not sure about what the tweet meant, so the account tried to make it clear - with another tweet.

READ: MS Dhoni: Football, badminton, hockey and other sports he excels at

This tweet implied that there are no full stops to Dhoni's career, yet. It is only going ahead with another chapter. MSK Prasad, Team India's Chief Selector, was asked whether he knew something about Dhoni's retirement. Prasad replied, "No, absolutely not. I am shocked to hear that." This can only imply that the conversation about Dhoni's retirement has not even started among the dressing room or the management. At this point, it is probably safe to assume that Dhoni is not retiring anytime soon.

He Has Not Run Out of Cricket

Yes, Dhoni was not at his best during the World Cup, but that does not mean that the player can not play anymore. Dhoni was impressive with the bat, at the IPL, while taking CSK to yet another final. Maybe, he lacked clarity in how he wanted to go about things. The army sabbatical probably got him that clarity of mind. But in all probability, MS Dhoni is coming back, guns blazing! How much longer do you predict Dhoni playing?