Dhoni not responsible for my retirement: VVS

Former India cricketer VVS Laxman revealed that retiring from international cricket was his own decision and former India captain MS Dhoni wasn’t responsible for it. Laxman made these revelations in his autobiography ‘281 and beyond’.

When Laxman’s joke boomranged

The former right-hand batsman gave a detailed account of his retirement in his autobiography. He wrote that after he informed the media of his decision to retire, the questions flowed. Laxman recalls that he was asked, ‘have you informed your teammates?’  to this he replied, “Yes”.

He was further asked, “Have you spoken to Dhoni, what did he have to say?” On this question, Laxman explains that he joked by saying, “Everyone knows how difficult it is to reach Dhoni.”

The Indian cricketer revealed that little did he realise that this would trigger the first and only controversy of his cricketing career.

VVS Laxman on MS Dhoni in his latest book. pic.twitter.com/1z2OdZAJI4

— The Dhoni Mantra (@MahiNation) November 18, 2018

Dhoni burst out laughing when he met Laxman

The former India cricketer admits that he had unwittingly provided fodder to the media, who started to speculate that he had retired in a huff because MS and he had differences, that there was a rift between the duo. The Indian batsman noted that it wasn’t funny at the time, but one of the headlines the following day read, ‘VVS, retired hurt’.

According to Lxaman, he waited for the end of the Test and then went to the hotel to thank every teammate and member of the support staff individually.

He recalled that When he met Dhoni, the then India captain took one look at him and burst out laughing. Dhoni said, “Laxman bhai, you are not used to all these controversies, but I am. Don’t take this to heart. We all know that sometimes, facts need not come in the way of a good story.”

Struck by Dhoni’s maturity and simplicity: Laxman 

The right-hand batsman admits that he was once again struck by Dhoni’s maturity, his simplicity, and how easily he had put the Indian batsman at ease.

Also read: Virat Kohli calls this player champion and posts picture

Laxman retired from Test cricket in 2012. The Indian player didn’t play in the Test against New Zealand that was scheduled in his hometown Hyderabad and instead announced his retirement in a press conference. This had created a controversy at that time.