The veteran Indian pacer, Ishant Sharma, who is all set to become the only Indian fast bowler after Kapil Dev to play in 100 Tests, has said that former skipper MS Dhoni might have taken a sudden retirement because he wanted wicket-keeper batsman Wriddhiman Saha to be groomed. Ishant Sharma, while talking to off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin on his YouTube channel, added that Dhoni was close to playing 100 Tests but personal milestones were secondary to him.

Talking about the same, Ishant Sharma said, “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.”

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Ishant Sharma also shared an anecdote related to MS Dhoni’s last Test. The lanky pacer said that he was continuously taking injections in the Boxing Day Test at Melbourne because of some severe pain in his knee. Around the last session of the 4th day, Ishant communicated to Dhoni and told him that he can’t continue bowling. The reply from the legendary captain stunned the Delhi bowler.\

Describing the same, Ishant said, “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. When it was almost Tea on Day 4, and Australia was about to declare I told Mahi bhai that I cannot take injections anymore.”

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He further added, “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.”