MS Dhoni says he is not sure if Sourav Ganguly liked his ‘unplanned’ farewell gift: ‘Last day if he can say goodbye.’

Dhoni made his India debut under Ganguly’s leadership, and later, it was a role reversal for the duo during the latter’s fag end of his career.

However, Dhoni decided to undo the situation once again and handed the captaincy back to Ganguly during his farewell Test against Australia in 2008. Before the match in Nagpur, Ganguly had already announced it would be the final match of his career, and the legendary wicketkeeper decided to give a special tribute to a player under whose captaincy he made his international debut.

In a promotional event, recently, Dhoni recalled the moment and revealed the reason behind his decision to handover captaincy to Ganguly for the final session of the game.

“Being one of the greatest captains that India has ever produced, what better farewell can you give from your side?” Dhoni remarked. “Last day (of his career), he is standing on a Test match field, playing the game. If he can say ‘goodbye’ leading for a while, then why not? It doesn’t really change the result of the game. That was the reason behind it,” Dhoni added.

However, Dhoni said he isn’t sure whether Ganguly enjoyed it, as it was not planned and he did it all of a sudden, as the match’s result was not at stake.

“I don’t know whether he enjoyed it or not because it came all of a sudden. It wasn’t planned, like ‘this is what you should do.’ I thought this was the best way for him to say farewell, leading on the field. Even if it is for 15-20 minutes, why not?” he added.

MS Dhoni hits at potential IPL return for 2025 season

Dhoni has hinted at a potential return for IPL 2025, saying he wants to enjoy “whatever last few years of cricket” he can play, amid speculation regarding his availability for the upcoming season.

“I just want to enjoy whatever last few years of cricket I’m able to play,” Dhoni said at a promotional event held in Goa a couple of days ago.