Though millions of Indians were heartbroken by India's defeat in the ICC World Twenty20 semi-final with West Indies on Thursday, captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni put a smile on everyone's face in a post-match press conference, after an Australian journalist asked him a question that hinted if he was contemplating retirement.
The journalist identified as Samuel Ferris, was called up by Dhoni after the question and asked if he wanted him to retire. Ferris replies in the negative, following which Dhoni asks him if he was unfit.
Ferris says no again, following which Dhoni asks him "You think I can survive till the 2019 World Cup?" Ferris says "Sure, yes," following which Dhoni says "Then you've answered the question!" and sends him back with a pat on the back.
The video has been going viral. Watch it here.
The reporter has also written a piece on the whole incident titled 'My sit-down chat with India skipper MS Dhoni' where he described in detail what went on in his mind as he geared up to ask the question.
He writes:
I thought it was a pretty standard question to be fair. When Dhoni shocked the world with his Test retirement out of nowhere after the 2014 Boxing Day Test at the MCG, it caught everybody off-guard....For the record, I never asked if he was going to retire, just how keen he was to play on. I'm not trying to retire one of the greats.
He also went on to describe how things followed, including how he was mobbed by the local press after the conference and was even 'trending' on social media.
He concluded the piece by saying "Word has it Dhoni hates that question and was ready to pounce on an Indian journalist who was going to ask it. Even though I fired the wrong ammunition, it seems I took a bullet for my Indian colleagues. "