5 Instances when MS Dhoni ended up as a villain for his die-hard fans

MS Dhoni is undoubtedly the greatest captain for India in the history of cricket among all who have ever played the game. He had given the moments to Indian cricket which were always like a dream for the Indian cricket fans and the Indian team as well. Dhoni won all the major international cricket tournaments during his captaincy.

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He first won the 2007 T20 World Cup followed by the title wins in the 2011 ODI World Cup and then the 2013 Champions Trophy. His decisions always benefitted Indian cricket on the field. But apart from there have been the decisions of MS Dhoni that didn’t go down well with the Indian fans in either of the ways.

So, here we’ll have a look at the five decisions of India’s former legendary skipper that portrayed his image of a villain from a hero in the eyes of the Indian cricket fans and sometimes experts or former legends of the game.

Chennai-Jadeja Saga

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Just before the commencement of the 2022 edition of the Indian T20 League, Dhoni decided to quit the captaincy of Chennai. He handed over the duties to the senior all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja. But the team witnessed a drastic downfall in the first eight matches as they lost six matches out of these.

Earlier, Dhoni’s decision left everyone in shock and to think twice. But things became worse when the reports learned that Jadeja was sacked from the duties of captaincy in the middle of the tournament and Dhoni took the charges again into his hands.

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Things went to the extent that Jadeja left the tournament in the middle and made his way back to home. A lot of fans blamed the management of Chennai and MS Dhoni for making Jadeja a culprit for the poor outings of the team in the 15^th edition of the Indian T20 League. It eventually made a grey shade of MS Dhoni among the fans.

Not Picking Raina in the mega auction of the Indian T20 League 2022

The bond between MS Dhoni and former Indian batting all-rounder Suresh Raina was very famous among cricket fans. Their friendship started while playing for the team India which later strengthened in the dressing room of Chennai in the Indian T20 League.

The southpaw always used to call Dhoni his mentor and an elder brother and Dhoni also had the same emotions toward the former for a couple of years. However, things started going down in this relationship when Suresh Raina left the Indian T20 League of 2021 midway. The reports learned that he was not happy with the allotted hotel room in the UAE.

Although, Raina joined the team in 2021 again things couldn’t restructure as in the past times. Eventually, in the mega auction for the Indian T20 League of 2022, Dhoni didn’t pick the veteran batter despite the available resources. It turned fans against Dhoni and made a quite blurred image of him.

England vs India, Group Stage Match, 2019 World Cup

India was playing in the 13^th edition of the ODI World Cup three years back in 2019. England was hosting this tournament. The men in blue were facing the hosts England in a group stage match at Birmingham’s Edgbaston Stadium. Eoin Morgan & co posted a massive total of 337 runs for the loss of seven wickets in the allotted 50 overs.

Senior opening batter Rohit Sharma smashed a magnificent century and everything was looking under control for team India. Visitors were easily heading towards the target as the surface of Edgbaston was quite a bit helpful for the batters in the second innings as well.

But just after the fall of Rohit Sharma’s wicket, things went south for team India. Dhoni was there in the middle to give a finishing touch to things, but he played very slow and could score only 42 runs off 31 balls which left him on the receiving end of the criticism from the fans.

England vs India, Lord’s Test, 2011

The Indian team was touring England just after winning the ODI World Cup of 2011. Both teams were playing the first of the four-match Test series at Lord’s. The legendary pacer of the team, Zaheer Khan sustained a strain in the hamstring on the very first day of the match.

The then skipper MS Dhoni went on to play a big gamble as he decided to bowl himself on the second day of the match. This decision backfired for team India. Later on, former legends of the game also criticized Dhoni for his move.

Former World Champion skipper Kapil Dev went on to the extent of saying it ‘mockery of Test cricket

"Dhoni has made a mockery of Test cricket by bowling (himself). This is not acceptable that on the second day of the Test match, you can't do this,” said Kapil Dev in his statement while talking about this move from the Indian captain.

India vs Sri Lanka, CB Series, 2012

During his career, Dhoni has been known for his instinct of taking the matches to the end and finishing on a good note for India. It also includes the historic final of the 2011 World Cup. But there are also instances when Dhoni received criticism for his sluggish approach while batting for India in a run chase.

A similar had happened in the Commonwealth Bank Series of 2012 in which India was participating alongside Sri Lanka and Australia. India was facing the Sri Lankan team in the series. The Sri Lankan team posted a total of 238 runs for the loss of nine wickets. It was looking like an easy chase for team India but Dhoni stretched it too long that India couldn’t win that match.

Firstly, he became a reason for running out of Gautam Gambhir then he himself played with a very defensive approach which couldn’t help India to cross the line in the allotted overs. Eventually, the match ended in a tie which India was comfortably looking to win.