KL Rahul said he was ‘shocked’ and ‘heartbroken’ to know that MS Dhoni has retired from international cricket.
The former India captain announced his retirement on August 15 via an Instagram post. Rahul said he wished the team could have given him a big send-off and done something special for Dhoni.
“It was quite shocking. I was honestly heartbroken. I’m sure all of us in the team or whoever has played under him and with him would have wanted to give him a big send-off and wanted him to play one more time so we could have had that opportunity to do something special for him. It is what it is," Rahul told ESPNCricinfo.
“He has been someone who has guided us all really, really well. And who has never expected us to change who we are. He has let us go out there and express ourselves and make our mistakes and learn from them. He has just let us be.
“If we were ever in doubt, or if we wanted to look to somebody for answers, he was always there. He knew when to push the players."
Rahul said he was short of words to describe Dhoni, saying he was an inspiration on and off the field.
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“Words fall short, man. Even the other day when I was trying on Instagram or Twitter. I mean, what do you say about somebody like that? You don’t have enough to say about how much he has done and how many lives he has changed and for how many people he is an inspiration - not just on the field but off the field with the things he has achieved. It is phenomenal," Rahul said.
Rahul, who will be leading Kings XI Punjab for the first time in IPL this season, said he has always looked up to Dhoni the captain.
“It has always been MS Dhoni. I’m grateful that I’ve had the honour of playing under him and with him. Even Rohit Sharma is quite a good captain. Virat Kohli is a phenomenal captain. I have learned a lot from all of them and hopefully I can use all of that knowledge when I am captaining."