MS Dhoni, former India captain, was on World Cup duty during the birth of his first and only child Ziva. Sakshi was in India, in February of 2015, giving birth to their daughter while Dhoni was in Australia, represeting India, trying to win another World Cup with the team. Two months ago, Dhoni had surprised everyone by announcing his Test retirement on the tour of Australia, midway through the series. Almost ten years later, we get to know what went inside MS Dhoni’s brain at that time. What all led to him taking two crucial decisions in a span of two months: One, retiring from Test cricket suddenly. Two, not going back to India for the birth of his first child.

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An old video of Sakshi has resurfaced online after Dhoni’s superb show in IPL 2024. In the video, she can be heard explaining why Dhoni decided to retire from Tests in 2014, so early in his career and revisited the experience of delivering a baby without her husband by her side.

Sakshi said that before he stepped down as the captain, he had hinted her about the decision. Sakshi used to also tell her that if he ever wanted a child, he should quit at least one format so that he could spend some time with the baby.

“When he stepped down from Test cricket, we always had a hint that he is going to step down. I even remember telling him, ‘If you want a child you should step down from at least one format because you won’t have time to enjoy with your child’,” Sakshi Dhoni tells in the video.

When Sakshi was in the hospital, about to deliver the baby, she overheard many people saying that how her husband was not there. But it did no bother her. “Even when Ziva happened, everyone in the hospital was like ‘ooh your husband is not coming!’ I said ‘it doesn’t matter’. Cricket is his priority and he is my priority. So, whatever is his priority is my priority. People tell me I had to sacrifice so much being his wife. I say, ‘NO, nothing it’s all love’. When you are in, you cannot call it sacrifice.”

Dhoni’s commitment to his team has become an example to everyone. At Chennai Super Kings (CSK), he decided to step down from the captaincy twice so that he could start the transfer of powers. He has extended his IPL career to ensure that CSK are a champion team even when he has left. He has found an able replacement of his in Ruturaj Gaikwad. Let’s see how he does as a leader.