It is believed that MS Dhoni is the coolest captain India ever had in their ranks. Showing zero emotion on a phlegmatic visage, he took everything upon him when India was under the cosh. This attribute of him being calm in the ultimate situation is what differentiated him from the likes of others.
However, given the fact every sport evokes emotions even from the strongest human beings, Dhoni was no exception to this adage. Even Captain Cool lost his temper on rare occasions for all the right reasons on the field. We will look at five such instances where Dhoni was visibly angry on the pitch.
- When Dhoni shared his piece of mind with Daryl Harper
Praveen Kumar was bowling in his debut test when this incident unfolded. After being warned by the umpire of not running on to the middle of the pitch, he reiterated the same incident which caught Harper’s eye and the latter banned him from bowling in the remaining match. This is what irked Dhoni as the Indian captain walked up to him and exchanged a few words.
Harper said Dhoni’s exact words at him were, “We’ve had trouble with you before, Harper.’’ This was also a probable referral to Harper giving Tendulkar out in a bizarre ‘shoulder before wicket’ dismissal and banning Ishant for the same crime.
- When Dhoni gave an earful to Kuldeep Yadav
Kuldeep Yadav messed up with Dhoni when he chose to ignore the captain’s warning in a match with Sri Lanka.
In an interview, Kuldeep said, “Kusal (Perera) smashed a boundary over the covers. Dhoni Bhai shouted from behind the wickets and asked me to change the fielding. I did not listen to his suggestion and in the next ball, Kusal hit another boundary through the reverse sweep now.”
Angry from his obduracy, Dhoni walked up to the young chinaman spinner and said, “Mai pagal hu? 300 one-day khela hu, aur samjha raha hu yahan pe. (Am I mad? I have played 300 ODIs and you are not listening to me)?”
- When the mic caught Dhoni abusing Manish Pandey
One of the fittest runners in international cricket known for his lightning-fast running between the stumps, Dhoni was once extremely irked by Manish Pandey not pushing hard for a second which the Indian skipper believed was there.
Once the run was completed, Dhoni looked at Pandey and said, “Ae Bhosdike, idhar dekh le. Udhar dekhta hai. (Hey bugger, watch here. Stop looking at the other side)
These words coming from Kohli wouldn’t have been much of a surprise but a man who is ice cool on the field, coming from him it gobsmacked the world.
- When Dhoni bombed against Billy Bowden
In an electrical goof up where Bruce Oxenford claimed that he pressed the right button and yet the wrong decision was flashed on the screen, Bowden ran to retrieve Hussey back to the crease.
It was a case or probable stumping where Dhoni dislodged the bails in a flash with Mike Hussey’s foot just on the line. Though from the initial replays it seemed as if Hussey was out but the final replay showed that Hussey had his foot in the line.
This was exactly why it was supposed to be a not out decision but the screen flashed “Out”. As Mr Cricket started walking towards the pavilion, Bowden recalled him to the crease. Post this a fuming Dhoni charged at Bowden and got involved in a heated altercation as they believed that Hussey was gone.
One of the probable reasons for Dhoni’s outburst was that this kind of change in the decision could have dented the players’ mindset on the field.
- When Shami got his lesson from the Indian captain
It was in the famous match where Brendon Mc Cullum registered a fabulous triple century to bail New Zealand from a sheer defeat. After Baz was dropped in Shami’s bowling, the pacer got frustrated with the same and bowled a bouncer that flew over Dhoni’s head to the boundary.
When Dhoni confronted Shami for the same, the Bengal fast bowler replied that the ball slipped out of his hands. According to Shami, Dhoni’s reply was, “I am a senior cricketer. Have seen several players walk in and out of this team. Don’t lie to me. I am your captain, don’t fool me.”
