Mahendra Singh Dhoni is the most celebrated Indian cricket team captain of all time. The Ranchi-based wicket-keeper batsman is the only player in the world to guide his team to the T20 World Cup, ICC World Cup, and ICC Champions Trophy. Besides, India also reached the number one position in Tests under Dhoni’s captaincy.
A majority of the cricket fans believe that the former Indian skipper is the coolest man in the sport’s history. However, Captain Cool has often found himself amid some massive controversies. Here’s a look at the top 5 occasions where MS Dhoni was at the center of a dispute.
Blaming the umpire’s wrong decision for the team’s loss:
During the IPL 2015 Qualifier match against Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings lost their in-form Caribbean opener, Dwayne Smith early in the innings. The on-field umpire seemingly gave a wrong decision, and Dhoni exaggerated the same during the post-match presentation. Here’s what Dhoni had said:
“I felt we lost too many in the middle. Not to forget, Dwayne Smith got a horrible decision by any standards, but overall I think we need to blame ourselves. We were not up to the mark.”
The Chennai skipper lost 10% of his match fee for his comments.
Dropping the senior players:
MS Dhoni made some tough decisions in the early phase of his captaincy career as he dropped Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid from the limited-overs team. He argued that the two legends were slow fielders. In the same way, a few years later, he started a rotation policy for Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, and Gautam Gambhir. The careers of all the five players derailed after they lost their place in the team. Hence, many fans feel that Dhoni was the reason behind their career’s abrupt end.
Physical contact with Mustafizur Rahman :
The fans remember the 2015 ODI series between Bangladesh and India for Mustafizur Rahman’s brilliance and Bangladesh’s historic win in the series. However, a massive controversy transpired during that period as the Indian skipper, MS Dhoni, seemingly punched the upcoming Bangladeshi bowler when he tried to stop him from taking a run. Rahman had come in between Rohit Sharma’s route as well. Thus, Dhoni lost his cool and also lost his 75% match fee.
PETA sends a notice to him
After MS Dhoni led the Indian team to a historic tri-series win in Australia, the captain sacrificed a goat at a temple in Ranchi. The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) wrote a letter to the Indian skipper, calling him out for his cruelty towards animals. The officials wrote:
“As a talented athlete, you are a role model for young people. We hope that you will consider the enormous influence you have over the children and, in the future, refrain from cruel acts that your young fans might be inspired to imitate.”
Rhiti Sports
In case you did not know, MS Dhoni had bought a 15% stake in a managing company named Rhiti Sports. The company managed Suresh Raina and Ravindra Jadeja, who were Dhoni’s team India and CSK teammates. That indirectly meant that whatever amount the two cricketers paid to the firm, Dhoni earned 15% of it. Hence, there was a conflict of interest that led to a massive controversy. Ultimately, Dhoni had to sell his shares of the company.
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