The speculations regarding the retirement of MS Dhoni has been doing rounds in media ever since team India got knocked out in WC 2019 semi-final. Dhoni making himself unavailable for Windies and South Africa series invited criticism from cricket pundits, who suggested that the 38-year-old shouldn't be picking and choosing series and the Indian selectors should have a chat with wicket-keeper batsman over his future plans.
India senior opener Shikhar Dhawan, who made his international debut under Dhoni, feels that a veteran player knows when's the right time for him to bid adieu to cricket.
"Dhoni has been playing for so long, I feel he understands when he should retire. This should be his decision. He has taken very important decisions so far for India in his career and I'm sure he will make the call when the time comes," Dhawan said on India TV's show ‘Aap Ki Adalat'.
"That's the quality of a big leader. He knows the potential of every player, and knows to what extent a player should be backed. He knows how to make a champion out of a player. India's success during his captaincy justifies this. His (Dhoni's) control is his biggest quality," Dhawan added.
Dhawan also said skipper Virat Kohli and the entire dressing room have great respect for the former India skipper.
"Dhoni bhai has been quite successful as the captain of the side. We are all very grateful to him and we respect him a lot, and the same goes for Virat," he said.
Dhawan also revealed that Kohli and Dhoni share a strong bond.
"When Virat was young, he guided him immensely. Even when he became the captain, Dhoni bhai was always there to help him. This is the quality of a leader. It's good to see that Virat is showing his gratitude to him now," the left-hander added.