AUTHOR'S POV -

"Sonu." MSD screamed.

"Yes bhai." Raina said.

"I am retiring " MSD said.

"Look into my eyes and say that bhai." Raina said.

"I am retiring." MSD said, looking into Raina's eyes.

"I will also retire" Raina said.

"Sonu, you no dont - " MSD was trying to convince Raina.

"Mujhe ek kahawat orve karni thi, bachpan se, sab iss kahawat ka masak udate the, mummy papa toh humesha, aaj hum usse sahi kar dete hain." Raina said.

"Tum kya bol rahe ho?" MSD asked.

"Dost kue mein kudega toh kya tum bhi kudoge?" Raina asked.

"Ha, usse bachane, aur mahi bache toh company dunga." MSD said.

"Main bhi wohi kar raha hoon." Raina said and hugged MSD.

---------------

"What the f*ck" Virat exclaimed.

"Vi, you promised you will control your swearing." Anushka said running out of the bedroom, Virat was loud enough to make the whole of Mumbai have an earthquake or the clouds to flood it even more.

"Main Delhi ka chokra hoon and I cant control my swears, yeh tere army rules mujhpe nahi chalne wale." Virat said angrily and Anushka was shocked for a second, and knew that Virat never talks like that so she didnt take any offense and went towards him.

"Is there any problem?" Anushka asked.

"Problem? I want to murder someone who is in Chennai, no not only oe person, two people, you will come to jail with me?" Virat asked.

"Vi calm down, tell me what exactly happened." Anushka said.

"So you wont come to the jail with me, its okay, yeh Ro aur mere saari bandaro ki toli kab kaam aayegi?" Virat asked and dialed Rohit's number and Anushka wondered what was wrong.

"Ro chal Chennai." Virat said as soon as Ro picked the call up.

"Haan bhai chal, maine check kar liya hain there is a flight in 2 hours if we leave the house now then we will reach together in one hour and then Chennai in two hours and I will pre book the taxi their and to their camp in another half an hour, one hour around." Ro said.

"Ha okay, book the tickets I will take my wallet and wear my shoes till then and I will get the car to your house to pick you up." Virat said.

Anushka heard this and knew something was wrong and Virat and Rohit were about to talk another impulsive decision so she dialed Ritika's number.

"Ritsy Ro and Vi are gone mad, I know its not a latest news but the madness has increased." Anushka said.

"You didnt check your instagram did you?" Ritika asked.

"Why? No, I was in a meeting and Vi screamed and then he is talking madly.

"Check it now, I cant control Ro and I am telling you wont be able to control Vi after you see what happened." Ritika said .

"Stay on line, I will open my Instagram" Anushka said and switched her tab to instagram.

She saw the post and was left shocked.

"Ro and Vi were talking about going to Chennai right?" Anushka asked.

"Yes." Ritika said.

"Vi tell Ro to book my ticket also." Anushka said.

"Mine and Sammy's also Ro." Ritika said.

"We will pick you up ASAP." Anushka said and hung up.

"Nushki get the masks and the face shield also." Virat said.

"You want to get the whole team to come?" Anushka suggested.

"How did you become so smart Nushkie? Oh ya my company." Virat said and Anushka gave him a look.

Virat opened his whatsapp group and sent a message.

The whole team joined the meeting that very minute.

"Who all are coming to Chennai?" Virat asked as soon as all joined.

"Mumbai se tickets mein book kar raha hoon, naam likhwado." Rohit said.

"Wah ticket collector." Hardik said.

"No team manager, he is booking tickets not collecting." Jaddu corrected him.

"How can you two fools joke at such times?" Jinks asked.

"What happened?" Hardik asked.

"Apne baby se upar dekh ke apna phone bhi dekhlo." Shikhar said

"How else did I join the meeting?" Hardik asked in an oversmart manner.

"Who called you 700 times so you can lift your head from the pillow and join the meeting?" Bhuvi asked.

"I cant help it, he starts crying at 12 in the night only and shushing him takes all night, I havent slept since so long, I cant help it but sleep in the day." Hardik said.

"Use this excuse the next time you are sleeping all day long Ro." Jaddu said.

"Shut up Jaddu and Harry, check your Instagram now." Ash said.

"Ash you are in Chennai?" Virat asked.

"No he is in China." Hardik said.

"Do what you are asked to do." Rohit ordered.

"Yes I am in Chennai only na where else will I be?" Ash asked.

"Ek ticket bach gayi." Rohit said.

"You are booking only for Mumbai kanjoos banda." Virat said.

"Shut up all, Ash go now to his hotel." Jinks ordered.

"No need." MSD said.

"Bhai?" all exclaimed.

"The link was sent where? Check again." MSD said.

"This Vi is such an Ass - " Rohit sighed.

"Bhai this is not fair." Jassi cried.

"Not at all fair, you are not good." Kuldeep cried, not being able to say you are bad.

"We knew that you will have to retire one day but not like this bhai." Yuzi said.

"You didnt let us give you a grand good bye also." Hardik added, finally coming to know about the whereabouts around him.

"And where is that promise you made to me that you wont retire until you train me well?" questioned Rishabh.

"You didnt even consider important enough to inform us this before the world." Rahul said.

"You had promised us years of playing with you." Shreyas said.

"Forgot these kids now but us?" Shikhar asked, for the first time in years he wasnt smiling at a tough time.

"We came to know this when the world did." Jinks said.

"Think about me, I didnt even know this happened until these fools told me." Jaddu said.

"Ulta fool kotwal ko fools bulaye." Hardik said.

"Ulta chor kotwal ko daate." MSD corrected.

"You toh dont speak only bhai" Ash said.

"Okay maybe, you wanted to discuss face to face about this with someone, I was in Chennai." Ash reminded MSD.

"You were plotting such a big thing in your brain and you didnt even let us know." Bhuvi said like a kid.

"Since how ling had you decided this?" Pujji asked.

"And what was that where the CSK owner said you will play in CSK till 2022? Now dont say thats IPL and all, you want to retire from blue then retire from every other color also." Jassi said, making his kiddish demand and sounding as unreasonable as Hardik.

"We didnt know that we are not family to you bhai." Rohit said.

"Ro - " MSD was going to say but no one would let him speak, not today atleast.

"He is right bhai, I thought family members consult each other before every decision they take, I came to you everytime I was confused about anything and you always had a solution, if one man can have solutions to 11 people's problems in the team then we 11 cant have a solution to one man's problem and we are not 11 we are more than that bhai, Me, Ro, Jaddu, JInks, Ash, Shikhi, Bhuvi, Kuli, Harry, Jassi, Yuzi, Rishabh, Shreyas, Pujji, Rahul, all of us if you say then even the bachas like Shubh, Abhay, Prithvi, all we be ready to serve you." Virat said, wanting to speak more but now losing all his words.

"Bacha no listen to me -" MSD said only to be stopped again.

"We get it, you dont love us, we were far that we couldnt annoy the shit out of you and make you say no but Sonu was there. He instead of making you say no, retired with you, gazab log ho app dono." Shikhar said.

"Even my 100 year old horse wont retire from horse riding so dont give us the age excuse, you are just 39, you are still so young and you still beat us in all the fitness tests possible so why this? m horses are more faithful than you. You came and made a place in our hearts when you wanted and left when you wanted." Jaddu enraged his anger.

"Bhai you retired from tests without asking us, we were like thik hain its okay, you are with us in T20 and ODI, but now you retire even before asking us again, breaking our hearts again?" Jinks asked.

"What happened to that we will win T20 WC together? What happened to that promise where you said that you wont retire before making a 100 run partnership with me, you have a partnership with Vi also, just because I am an opener doesnt mean we shouldnt have a partner ship." Rohit lamely said not knowing if anything could change his decision.

"Okay I know you didnt like it when I posted that picture of you on a kids car on Instagram, i will delete it bas, just delete your retirement post." Hardik said.

"Who retires like this bhai? No victory run, no carrying you on our shoulders, no mass good bye, no hugs, no tears, no praises, no party, nothing, you didnt let us make this special for you at all." Kuldeep said.

"We were all so busy in our lives in lock down that this thought never crossed our minds, we never thought what could go on in your mind when you knew everything about ours. I know I didnt tell you guys about my engagement and surprised you all by that post but social media is not the place you make announcements, I cant believe that I am saying this, but I am and when did you remember that Instagram exsisted?" Yuzi asked.

"You wanted people to think that you are an iron man or what? Started with a run out, ended with a run out. It doesnt sound cool bhai, it doesnt. It makes us feel guilty that that was how your last match ended, it scars us that that is how our bhai, our inspiration, our mentor, our everything brought an end to his journey." Bhuvi said.

"Leave all this bhai, just answer one question, How do we change the MS DHONI'S mind?" Virat asked.

"Why are you guys talking like someone died?" MSD asked.

"Koi hain Mahi bhai ke aas paas, unpe sabse ganda jo shoe ho na woh pheko." Jaddu screamed.

"I am not leaving you all, I always did my national duty and retiring now finally is also a part of it, you all think that I am a great leader right? Then great leaders make way, they dont stay on top, they make others reach on top." MSD said.

"We dont want a great leader, we want our Mahi bhai in the dressing room." Shreyas said.

"We want to play pranks with him on him in the dressing room." Hardik said.

"We want to train with him." Rahul said.

"Enter with him on the field." Jassi said.

"Listen to his advice when the overs end" Rishabh said.

"Have him encouraging us one the other end of the strike." Virat said.

"Making us realise that we reached a 50." Jaddu said.

"Shouting at us, correcting us when we are wrong." Kuldeep said.

"Solving our fights." Rohit said.

"Stop" MSD screamed.

"Listen to me, its high time I retire." MSD said.

"What nonsense?" Virat asked annoyed by the fact that MSD wont listen to them at all.

"I will be there for correct you all when you make a mistake which you are doing now by trying to stop me, cricket is my life more them any of yours and I am not parting with anyone or anything related to it, I will enter the field again, not as a wicket keeper and skipper of the Indian cricket team but a wicket keeper and skipper of CSK, an ex cricket of the Indian cricket team, the world cup winning ex captain, the captain cool, as your Mahi bhai, I will remain an integral part of you all even after retirement." MSD said.

"We want you are present wicket keeper and skipper of the Indian cricket team." Hardik said.

"I dont want to be like you now, I would never leave like this at least, without asking my family." Rishabh said, who had always wanted to be like MSD.

"Bachas, listen, I am not leaving you all, I am just exiting the team." MSD said, making it sound like they were two different things which his kids would never understand.

"How is that different?" Ash, the most sensible of all asked

"I am there with you all whenever you all need me, whenever you all are in trouble, whenever you want to play PUBG, whenever you all want to hang out with me, whenever you all want to travel with me, whenever you want to go on rides with me, whenever you ask me to come with you anywhere but as a player of ict on the field." MSD said.

"We cant let the oldest relation or the first relation we have with you break bhai." Rohit said.

"It never will, I am still here, you want to train with me come, I will train with you, you want tips from me, I will give you coaching only to you all." MSD said.

"Open a MSD Coaching academy only exclusively for us." Yuzi said.

"And get us all in CSK." Hardik demanded.

"Even better, replace Ravi bhai." Virat said.

" Great plans, we will execute them one day but not the CSK plan Harry, i need time where I am not handling 20 - 35 year old kids." MSD said.

"And all these head coaches are too old, I will be one when I become old." MSD said.

"If you are not old then dont retire only." Kuldeep said.

"And when you turn old, we all will be eligible to be head coaches." Shikhar said.

"Focus on the present boys." MSD said.

"Our present agenda was coming to Chennai and stealing your phone and deleting your retirement announcement." Virat said.

"That video was very bad quality, next time you want a video ask harry, even hewill make better videos than that." Rahul said.

"Rahul, next time there will be no video like this." Rohit said.

"Yes, lets go back to lets go Chennai plan, Ro book tickets from mumbai, Hardik from Gujrat, Shikhar from Delhi, Rahul you are in Bangalore na? Then you can go on road trip and reach, no not good idea you also book tickets, Everyone tthree two one, book tickets, I didnt group many more people in states and cities but there is no time so book your own tickets and chalo." Virat said.

"No one is changing my decision." MSD said.

"I expect you all to stand with me." MSD said, and no one spoke now.

"No tears, I want a happy good bye when I leave cricket which I never will." MSD said

"Stay where you are now, and listen support my decision, its necesarry to step down some times, you will release it once you are kept in my scenario. I dont need a grand good bye, I need you all with me always, when you need me I am there now why arent you all there?" MSD asked.

"We are with you bhai." all said, the felt forced to say this, they didnt want their Mahi bhai to leave.

"Not happening" Virat screamed.

"You cant leave the team." Virat said.

"I am there, if any of you kick me out of the whats app group and all then you are dead. MSD joked.

"No you wont leave, lets have you in as coach." Virat said again.

"Cheeku I will be with you all, I am not leaving and never will." MSD said.

He tried convincing his kiddos, but it was hard fir them to take in that.

MSD retiring was not happening for them, not happening even in their dreams,