MS Dhoni, one of the greatest captains of all time, decided to hang his boots from international cricket on August 15, 2020, via an Instagram post. However, he continued to lead Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and even clinched the title in 2021.
After making a debut in December 2004 against Bangladesh, the right-hander went on to represent India for more than one-and-a-half decades. However, there are still many names who are actively playing this sport despite starting ahead of MSD.
Dinesh Karthik
MS Dhoni’s teammate Dinesh Karthik began his international career during a 50-over match against England on September 5, 2004. His last outing in the national colours came in the same game as of Dhoni – 2019 WC’s semi-final clash against New Zealand. Since then, he has been seen in the commentary panel in various series including the 2021 WTC Final.
Chris Gayle
West Indies opening batter Chris Gayle is one the best T20 cricketers of all time. The lanky cricketer has played over 100 Tests, 300+ ODIs and 79 T20Is to date. Moreover, his last international outing came against Australia during the recently-concluded 2021 ICC T20 World Cup in the UAE.
James Anderson
England speedster James Anderson is one of the finest fast bowlers with plenty of records against his name. The Englishman is the leading Test wicket-taker in terms of pacers and also has the maximum scalps amongst the active players. The 39-year-old is still the number one bowler of the ‘Three Lions’ in red-ball cricket.
Shoaib Malik
Pakistan’s Shoaib Malik also began his international cricket journey before the former Indian wicketkeeper-batter. The Sialkot-born was recently recalled to the national side for the 20-over World Cup where the ‘Men in Green’ reached the semi-final match of the tournament. He is also quite active in various franchise tournaments across the globe.
Mohammad Hafeez
Another player to make to this list from Pakistan, Mohammad Hafeez is one of the classiest batters to ever play for his nation. The 41-year-old has played a lot of international matches in a career spanning for almost 18 years now. Just like Malik, the spin-bowling all-rounder also travels in many parts of the world to participate in T20 leagues.
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