CHENNAI: Sixteen words. That's all it took for MS Dhoni to bid farewell to his international career.
It's a career that has seen the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. It's a career that has seen him being treated like the Gods, with fans garlanding him. It's also a career that has seen the public attack his house in Ranchi on at least two occasions.
It began in 2004, when Indian cricket, in search of new heroes, was subconsciously moving away from the metros. The likes of Irfan Pathan had already heralded the new dawn but it was Dhoni who shattered the glass ceiling.
Even if his debut was a low key affair in Chattogram against Bangladesh, he soon went on to blow minds and shatter records.
If the whirlwind 148 against Pakistan five months later was the teaser, an unbeaten 183 against Sri Lanka in 2005 was the feature film.
Dhoni, with the rockstar hair, and a swagger to match a Bond villain, had arrived.
If his batting gave India's coloured-ball sides a much-needed new dynamic, it was his captaincy and instinct that truly elevated it.
The decision to bowl Joginder Sharma in the final over in the 2007 World T20 final, promoting himself to tackle the might of Muttiah Muralitharan in 2011 or playing poker with England's batsmen in the dark of Edgbaston in the 2013 Champions Trophy... he essentially reduced captaincy, and, by extension, the game itself, into a battle of wits.
And he usually won in the end. That was what made him special with a capital S.
But the misses started multiplying after the Champions Trophy.
His famous instinct was becoming stale as India, under his leadership, was beginning to fail in crunch games. But still, he will go out with his head held high.
He told India it was okay to dream. He told India it was okay to be a rebel and take on the establishment.
His first ball in international cricket saw him run out in 2004.
His last ball as an international cricketer saw him run out in 2019.
Within that incredible 15-year period, though, he composed enough haikus to fill a few books.
On Saturday, the only captain to win all four ICC trophies bowed out the way he came in — out of the blue.
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On Instagram, he posted: "Thanks a lot for ur love and support throughout. from 1929 hrs consider me as Retired," along with a montage.
The audio was the track 'Main Pal Do Pal Ka Shayar Hoon', from 'Kabhie Kabhie'. It's a poet describing how his story ends in a second or two. The 39-year-old's, though, will surely be etched in the sands of time.