MS Dhoni took the match ball with him after India won the third and final ODI against Australia in Melbourne on Friday.
The last time Dhoni did so, a video grab of him taking the match ball from the umpires, had gone viral with many predicting it as a sign of wicketkeeper-batsman's imminent retirement from international cricket.
Dhoni had not forgotten the incident and made a joke about it on Friday. When he passed the ball to batting coach Sanjay Bangar, he said ‘ball lelo nahi to bolega retirement le rahe hain (take the ball or they will say I am retiring)’.
It was further proof of Dhoni's sense of humour as well as a little dig at people who had gone into overdrive with speculations when MS took the ball in England last year.
The video of Dhoni taking the ball after the 3rd ODI against England at Headingley went viral on social media platforms and TV channels after India's eight-wicket loss. It created a lot of buzz and many said that it meant Dhoni was going to retire soon.
Dhoni later cleared the air about his international future making it clear that he is going nowhere till the 2019 World Cup in England.
He also explained why he took the match ball at the end of the match.
"(I took the ball) to see why we are not able to get enough reverse swing. Because we will be playing the World Cup in England, we have to (ensure) that we get reverse swing going. Because it is something that is very important. If the opposition is getting it, we should also get it, at some point or the other," Dhoni had told PTI.
