Former fielding coach Sridhar has said that Dhoni was thinking of retirement even before India’s 2019 World Cup semi-final defeat.
Veteran Dhoni announced his retirement on 15 August 2020 after playing his last match in the semi-finals of the 2019 ODI World Cup. In this case, R., who worked as a fielding coach in the Indian team, said that Dhoni indirectly announced his retirement while playing in the semi-finals of the 2019 World Cup. Sridhar has said in his autobiography. He said:
The 2019 World Cup semi-final against New Zealand in Manchester went into an extra day due to rain. I was the first person to go for breakfast that day. I was drinking coffee. Dhoni and Rishabh Pant came. They came and sat with me. New Zealand’s innings was just a few overs away. After that the Indian team has to play. So the day will soon be over. Keeping this in mind, some of our team members will be traveling to London on their own soon. Rishabh Pant asks Dhoni are you coming too. No Rishab. “I don’t want to miss my last bus ride with my teammates,” Dhoni said. Hearing this, I did not tell anyone about his decision out of respect for Dhoni. He said that I did not tell this matter to Ravi Shastri, who was the coach then, Bharat Arun, who was the bowling coach, and even to my wife.