The two-time World Cup-winning captain kept everyone guessing about his retirement till the end but when he finally did, it left the cricket world overwhelmed with emotions.
Such was the impact he had had on his teammates like Suresh Raina that the southpaw chose to retire from international cricket on the same day.
Batting great Sachin Tendulkar had broken a plethora of records but the elusive World Cup win only came at the fag end of his career and under Dhoni's leadership.
Virat Kohli became the champion cricketer that he is under Dhoni's leadership and the latter's retirement naturally made the current India skipper emotional.
In his appreciation for Dhoni, BCCI president and former India skipper Sourav Ganguly wrote: “It is the end of an era. What a player he has been for the country and world cricket.
“His leadership qualities have been something, which will be hard to match, especially in the shorter format of the game.
“His batting in one-day cricket in his early stages made the world stand up and notice his flair and sheer natural brilliance. Every good thing comes to an end and this has been an absolutely brilliant one.
“He will finish with no regrets on the field.”
India head coach Ravi Shastri said Dhoni's professionalism stood out.
For his another World Cup-winning teammate Virender Sehwag, there can be none like Dhoni.