India opening batsman KL Rahul on Tuesday said he was shocked and heartbroken on MS Dhoni’s decision to retire from international cricket without allowing them a proper chance to give him a big farewell.

Rahul said he would have relished one last opportunity to share the dressing room in an international match before the former India captain hung his boots.

“It was quite shocking. I was honestly heartbroken. I’m sure all of us in the team or whoever has played under him and with him would have wanted to give him a big send-off and wanted him to play one more time so we could have had that opportunity to do something special for him. It is what it is,” Rahul told ESPNCricinfo.

Also Read | Gavaskar gets emotional, ‘told Dhoni I’d watch his six in my last moments’

The right-hander who has now emerged as the frontrunner to cement his spot as a wicket-keeper batsman in India’s limited overs side after Dhoni’s retirement, said the former captain guided all the youngsters in the team.

“He has been someone who has guided us all really, really well. And who has never expected us to change who we are. He has let us go out there and express ourselves and make our mistakes and learn from them. He has just let us be.

“If we were ever in doubt, or if we wanted to look to somebody for answers, he was always there. He knew when to push the players,” added Rahul.

Also Read | ‘MS firmly told Raina to go back’: RP Singh recalls Dhoni losing his cool

Rahul, who will play against MS Dhoni in upcoming IPL 2020 in the UAE, was at a loss of words in describing the impact of the India’s two-time World Cup-winning captain.

“Words fall short, man. Even the other day when I was trying (to write on Dhoni retiring) on Instagram or Twitter… I mean, what do you say about somebody like that? You don’t have enough to say about how much he has done and how many lives he has changed and for how many people he is an inspiration – not just on the field but off the field [as well] with the things he has achieved. It is phenomenal,” Rahul said.

The Karnataka right-hander will play his first major IPL as captain after he was appointed the leader of Kings XI Punjab. Rahul said he has always idolised Dhoni when it came to captaincy.

“It has always been MS Dhoni. I’m grateful that I’ve had the honour of playing under him and with him. Even Rohit [Sharma] is quite a good captain. Virat [Kohli] is a phenomenal captain. I have learned a lot from all of them and hopefully I can use all of that knowledge when I am captaining,” Rahul said.

The 13th edition of IPL will begin from September 19. The full schedule for the same is yet to be announced by the BCCI.