Retirements Thread - Imad Wasim

[wasteyouryouth]

The Raina one is odd.
He's not played for two years. So, who cares if he's retired. It's like Gary Ballance coming out and saying he's retired. And on the day Dhoni does, it seems a little attention seeking. Like Jade Dernbach retiring from international cricket 30 minutes after the World Cup Final he didn't play in.
But, there's still two World T20s in two years and probably two IPLs within 6 months or so.
The Indian middle order was their problem in the last World Cup and India have often rewarded players who do well in the IPL. So I couldn't see why, if he had good IPLs, he couldn't have found his way back into the squad at least.

As for MSD, at 39 and having not for played for a year, I'd pretty much assumed he was as good as retired anyway. But I can see why he'd want to put a pin in it, end talk of him playing for India again and avoid being asked about it over and over.

 

[Till Valhalla]

Finally...

 

[Bevab]

The Raina one is odd.
He's not played for two years. So, who cares if he's retired. It's like Gary Ballance coming out and saying he's retired. And on the day Dhoni does, it seems a little attention seeking. Like Jade Dernbach retiring from international cricket 30 minutes after the World Cup Final he didn't play in.
But, there's still two World T20s in two years and probably two IPLs within 6 months or so.
The Indian middle order was their problem in the last World Cup and India have often rewarded players who do well in the IPL. So I couldn't see why, if he had good IPLs, he couldn't have found his way back into the squad at least.

As for MSD, at 39 and having not for played for a year, I'd pretty much assumed he was as good as retired anyway. But I can see why he'd want to put a pin in it, end talk of him playing for India again and avoid being asked about it over and over.

So glad that I created a second account to post my thoughts all over again.

In all seriousness though, I made the same point on 'private' social media and got a bunch of abusive texts from my fellow uni students that ranged from me apparently being disrespectful to a legend and me being a nobody who has never played cricket and hasn't done anything for India accompanied by plenty of flaming. And people wonder why effigies get burnt or subcontinental fans go overboard for minor losses..

I don't think Raina had any chance to get back into the T20 side either, he is a top order player in T20s and that spot is well settled by Kohli and Iyer right now. In addition, the last time he got picked after a decent IPL was an absolute disaster and I'm not sure if he warranted another chance. The worst thing was that he had recently indicated that he still wanted to play in the World Cup, wonder what changed in the meantime to force him into such a U-Turn. It was the same for Dhoni. I don't think the top brass wanted him to be there even for the ODI World Cup and barring a freakish number of injuries to at least four Indian keepers he wouldn't have made his way into the squad next year either.

It is a bit of a shame that Dhoni's legacy has been tarnished by these last four years as he was one of the greatest middle order players in ODI history prior to that and a true force to be reckoned with. Him and Raina were truly incredible to watch and India still has not found a proper replacement for either of them.

 

[Bigby Wolf]

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This is a very emotional video posted in Dhoni's official account. It covers almost every phase of the great man's career even the darkest ones - where his posters were burned & house was under construction torned down.

My early memory of Dhoni was in 2004 when India A toured Kenya to play a tri series tournament involving Pakistan as well where opened the batting and smashed the bowlers all round the park.

Over the years we all saw him evolve as a captain,leader & more mature batsmen leading India to some triumphant victories all across the globe.

One of the Shrewdest, Calmest and tactically genius cricket players to have ever played the game.Not only Indian but the world cricket will miss the services of the great man.

ThankYou for the Golden moments that will be forever etched in our memories.

 

[Targaryen]

Not surprised by this announcement. But only thing that I miss about Dhoni is that he didn't get his sendoff ODI game for his legacy. His retirement from test came out as a surprise but can't say the same for ODIs/T20s.

On the other hand, people are least bothered about Raina's retirement. But not to forget he has been alongside Dhoni for years and has been like one of his eye alongside Ashwin. Whenever India's top order collapsed, I always had faith in trio of Yuvi, Raina & Dhoni, they easily won the matches for India back then.

Raina could've made it a lot easier for himself to announce his retirement some time later than Dhoni did. Just that he would get the appreciation he deserves for his contribution to Indian cricket. Dhoni will be missed but same can't be said to Raina.

 

[Yash.]

Raina’s contribution to the Indian cricket was a really big one. He was the first (or second if you count Yuvi) cricketer from India who truly understood and excelled in T20 cricket. He may have had some techinal flaws (we all know what I’m talking about) but despite that, any team would want that king of guy in their team, who could give you a good innings at a 130+ strike rate (especially demolishing the spinners), nifty and quick overs in between, his gun fielding, and not to forget, his presence. Always a great player, with an immense respect for the opponents, he was one of my favourite cricketers to watch om the cricket field.

And yeah, cricket will never find a better inside-out shot than the one he played.

 

[NILAYSHAH60]

I posted this on my Insta account (it was in Hindi so not posting the pic but the translation)

Whenever I hear his name, I remember that innings in Cardiff back in 2015. After losing 3-1 in the Test series in the very first match in ODI he scored a hundred against England. But the other thing I remember is he always used to bat with Dhoni and saved us from humiliation in SENA Countries. He cried when Dhoni retired from Test Cricket. That Raina Dhoni pair of CSK always played well against us (Mumbai Indians). Raina came to International circuit with Dhoni in 2005 and goes away with Dhoni in 2020. Such a huge impact Dhoni had on Raina's career.

 

[NILAYSHAH60]

Tbh we as Indian fans are very much emotionally attached with some of our players. I honestly really feel that emotional attachment with the 2011 World Cup team which I don't actually feel with the current side. I might like to watch Rohit bat but I never developed the kind of attachment that I had with Sachin. Neither does Kohli the Captain gives me the sense of security as a fan what Dhoni did. Even if Raina isn't the best of players we do feel that attachment with him so Raina's retirement does matter to some of us in some ways. And him calling the retirement the day Dhoni retired is very much understandable because of the friendship and mutual respect that they had for each other. Could be the fact that both discussed this with each other and collectively took the decision. And it also can be the reason that with Dhoni not retiring he felt the inspiration that he can continue as well but with Dhoni's retirement his inspiration to play the game was lost and hence he retired.

 

[SaiSrini]

Did not yet fully understand Raina's announcement. I see the theories floating around that he is sizing himself up to play overseas T20 leagues. In fact I even read in some social media posts that if BCCI do not amend the rule of "play overseas only post IPL retirement", then Raina might even retire from the IPL after this season and could go freelancing. Honestly he needs to do that as he has atleast 5 years of domestic T20 leagues left in his system (if he keeps his knee in fine fettle).

And to say that Raina's retirement does not matter, is so foolish. He was a crucial cog in India's short format game for a good chunk of years. He had the dreaded short ball problem that Ganguly had, but Raina did not make enough adjustments to make a decent test career out of it. He was superb in ODi's and T20's and was one for the world's top fielders in his heydays (heck, Jonty Rhodes rated Raina as No. 1 fielder in the world, a few years back). Raina is a success story, and yet also a story of "could have been so much better". He deserves respect and a warm send off now that he has retired from international cricket. He could still have easily fought for a place in the India T20 side for the next 2 years.

---

MSD's announcement comes with mixed emotions. Relieved that he finally pulled the plug on the "Will I, OR, Wont I" game that he was playing post the 2019 WC. Obviously considering the stature of MS Dhoni, reams and reams of messages and tributes have flown in from all parts of the world. Good thing is, he prepared his fans by staying away from the game and then announcing the retirement when fans haven't seen him play for quite sometime. Imagine the feeling if he retired a few days after the 2019 WC. An emotional wave would've ensued across the nation.

All that is left of MS Dhoni's international career is now memories and those are very strong memories that'll stay likely forever in minds of fans who've lived through his career watching him. I am excited to see him in IPL, atleast for 2 years and then hope he transitions CSK into a new beginning (which right now looks bleak without his presence)

 

[Bevab]

Did not yet fully understand Raina's announcement. I see the theories floating around that he is sizing himself up to play overseas T20 leagues. In fact I even read in some social media posts that if BCCI do not amend the rule of "play overseas only post IPL retirement", then Raina might even retire from the IPL after this season and could go freelancing. Honestly he needs to do that as he has atleast 5 years of domestic T20 leagues left in his system (if he keeps his knee in fine fettle).

And to say that Raina's retirement does not matter, is so foolish. He was a crucial cog in India's short format game for a good chunk of years. He had the dreaded short ball problem that Ganguly had, but Raina did not make enough adjustments to make a decent test career out of it. He was superb in ODi's and T20's and was one for the world's top fielders in his heydays (heck, Jonty Rhodes rated Raina as No. 1 fielder in the world, a few years back). Raina is a success story, and yet also a story of "could have been so much better". He deserves respect and a warm send off now that he has retired from international cricket. He could still have easily fought for a place in the India T20 side for the next 2 years.

I've received a lot of personal flak for my view on it but personally I don't think I meant to say that Raina the international player did not matter and I doubt anyone else meant that too. He was one of my favourite players given how aggressive he was in Indian colours which was quite refreshing to see. And his fielding was top tier too, people forget it now that we have Jadeja but he picked up the torch from the likes of Kaif and Yuvraj and kept it going.

However, I do need to mention that his timing and the way he announced it could have been better. To retire in the same way after Dhoni did is puzzling and he has done a lot of things as a Dhoni-lite might in CSK recently too as the 'Chinna Thala'. In addition, he hasn't played for his state in nearly two years and was woefully inadequate the last time he played for India. In the grand scheme of things, it truly does not matter whether he has retired or not from national duty as he was never going to make it back as the T20I team already has Kohli in his favoured role who isn't interested in opening and we have a long-term number four too in Iyer finally.

Fair play to him for thinking he could make it in again for so long as I doubt any sportsperson would completely give up a chance but given that he also recently indicated that he still wanted to play in the World Cup, this retirement is truly strange as I should mention again that he had very little chance of coming back when you think of it but he also wanted to give it a shot. Maybe Dhoni's retirement truly did affect him but retiring sometime after him on the same day unfortunately does seem a bit disrespectful at the very least. In addition, plenty of overseas fans are lukewarm about the entire thing as most players retire internationally when they are in the team or are about to phased out, not when they haven't played for their domestic state in two years. At least Dhoni's retirement has some logic behind it as he still had an outside shot if the World Cup were to be held this year and India had not found a keeper in form. And then there is the whole retiring on the country's independence day which is another can of worms...

Would he retire from the IPL to play other leagues? I'm not too sure of it, he earns a lot not just from his salary but also endorsements and marketing that the CSK brand offers. Respectfully he hasn't played as well as he should have for someone on those wages but he is unlikely to lose it given his importance in stature and leadership to the side. Were he to take a stand against the BCCI, he stands to lose not only the IPL but all the baggage and benefits that he receives in addition to it. He would have to prove himself worth it as an overseas pro all over again and he would not get paid as much in the other leagues (although maybe he could come close if he were to play in a lot of leagues?) in addition to a lot more travel which eventually takes a toll. I would love to see him take the risk though, we need someone to challenge the draconian and archaic law and on paper he is one of the best players suited to the task in terms of still having a decent reputation and skillset that most teams desperately want. Would he do it though, given his fitness record and with a family to take care of?

 

[SaiSrini]

I don't think retirement from IPL will affect his relationship with the BCCI. There is definitely the angle of "playing overseas leagues" in his mind and that should likely be the reason why he has kickstarted the retirement process. Or else, why would someone who hasn't even played for his domestic side for 2 years, announce an international retirement when he hasn't been anywhere near the national team? Also I think if Raina can play 3-4 leagues like CPL, Big Bash, Mzansi Super League (SA), T20 Blast or the upcoming Hundred (England), etc, I guess he can earn a lot more than what CSK pays him. And I think it is time for the BCCI to get rid of that rule that forces IPL players to not play any other leagues in the world. I am sure someone who will have nothing to lose by taking BCCI to court, will initiate the legal process very soon if the BCCI don't act on it.

P.s: I didn't mean to target you on the "Raina the international player matters" thing. There was someone else here who sarcastically mentioned that they were also retiring from international cricket and my reply was aimed at that dig.

 

[Ed Smith]

Graham Onions packing in. Injuries unsurprisingly. Always thought he looked decent for England.

Onions forced into retirement by back injury England seamer Graham Onions forced into retirement by back injury | ESPNcricinfo.com via ESPNCricinfo app ESPNcricinfo App - Download on Google Play & iOS App Store

 

[wasteyouryouth]

Retire In Peace Ian Bell

 

[NILAYSHAH60]

Rest In Peace Ian Bell

I felt he is no more when I read it. Please don't use such words, it is scary amidst the pandemic.

 

[wasteyouryouth]

I felt he is no more when I read it. Please don't use such words, it is scary amidst the pandemic.

Fair dos, changed it.