MS Dhoni getting run-out against New Zealand in the 2019 World Cup semi-final in Manchester, England. Dhoni was deeply frustrated that he couldn’t guide India to victory. (Photo: Getty Images)
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While the wounds of the 2023 ODI World Cup final defeat are still fresh, if there's one memory that haunts Indian cricket fans even more, it's the 2019 ODI World Cup semi-final loss to New Zealand at Old Trafford. The image of a teary-eyed MS Dhoni walking back to the pavilion may take some time to heal for the fans.
However, Dhoni himself seems to have recovered enough from the trauma to speak about it for the first time in a recent interaction. Thala, as he is popularly known among the fans, explained that the semi-final loss to New Zealand was a heartbreaking moment and that he needed some time to move on from it.
“It was a difficult one because I knew that this will be my last World Cup, so it would have been good to be on the winning side. It was heartbreak moment, so we accepted the result and we tried to move on,”
"Time thoda lagta hai aur World Cup ke baad thoda time mil bhi jata hai. Maine toh uske baad international khela nahi hai toh mujhe toh kaafi time mila hai. (It takes time and one gets some time after the World Cup. I haven't played any international after that, so I got a lot of time). So, yes, it was a heartbreak but at the same time you have to get out of it. So you just accept that you tried your best, but you were not able to win it," Dhoni added
Notably chasing down a total of 240 runs during the 2019 semi-final, team India lost the crucial wickets of Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul and Virat Kohli with just 5 runs on the scoreboard. Later on, Dhoni and Jadeja put on a valiant partnership to get the Men in Blue back in the game. But situation got trick for India with the wicket of Jadeja and the run out of Dhoni was the last staff in the coffin for India's run chase.