Political leaders from Tamil Nadu spoke in one voice on Sunday, as they hailed former Indian Captain MS Dhoni who announced his retirement from international cricket on Saturday. Both Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami and DMK chief MK Stalin credited Dhoni with having led India to iconic victories and said his ‘era’ will be missed.
Palaniswami described Dhoni as "captain cool" and said his name will be etched in history.
DMK President M K Stalin said the era of Dhoni will be missed and credited his "agile leadership."
"#MSDhoni's name will be etched in history for leading the Indian cricket team in 331 international matches and for being the only #captaincool to win 3 championships for the nation," Palaniswami said.
Dhoni had led the team successfully in three ICC multi-national summit clashes-- the T20 World Cup in 2007, the 2011 World Cup and the Champions Trophy in 2013.
Stalin also took to the micro-blogging site, where he shared a picture of Dhoni shaking hands with late DMK President and former Chief Minister M Karunanidhi.
"The era of #MSDhoni will be missed. Thank you for your exceptional contributions to cricket and agile leadership, Captain Cool. Wish you the best for the next innings," he said in the tweet.
The 39-year-old Dhoni had on Saturday taken to Instagram to announce his retirement from international cricket, saying, "thanks a lot for ur love and support throughout. from 1929hrs consider me as retired.
The announcement came a day after he joined his Chennai Super kings teammates at the side's home base for a short training camp ahead of the players' departure to the UAE next week.
The BCCI sent out a statement, detailing each one of his historic achievements and lauding "a legacy that will be difficult to replicate." Board president Sourav Ganguly and Secretary Jay Shah paid rich tributes.
"It is the end of an era. What a player he has been for the country and world cricket...He will finish with no regrets on the field," said Ganguly.
"He is leaving the game richer from the time he joined," added Shah.
The Board also stated that Dhoni "changed the face of Indian cricket with his calm demeanour, sharp understanding of the game and astute leadership qualities."
His last outing in India colours was during the lost World Cup semifinal against New Zealand in July last year.