For over a decade, Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s captaincy defined an era of Indian cricket, marked by three ICC trophies and a commanding presence on the field. However, his tenure also saw the quiet departure of several senior players, leading to a long-standing debate about his role in their careers.
While Dhoni’s supporters point to his ruthless focus on building a team for the future, a number of his former teammates have openly or implicitly suggested that his lack of support hastened their exit from the national team.
Here is the list of 5 such cricketers:
1. Virender Sehwag:
The swashbuckling opener Virender Sehwag, a key figure in India’s World Cup triumphs, has spoken about his frustration with the team’s rotation policy during the 2012 tour of Australia. Dhoni publicly stated that Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar and Gautam Gambhir were being rotated because they were “slow fielders”.
Virender Sehwag was reportedly miffed that this was conveyed to them through the media and not directly by the captain. He later revealed that at one point, he considered retiring from ODIs due to being dropped, a decision he credits Sachin Tendulkar with helping him reconsider.
2. Gautam Gambhir:
Another architect of India’s World Cup victories, Gautam Gambhir has been vocal about the lack of credit given to other players in the 2011 final, famously won by a Dhoni six. Gambhir, who scored a crucial 97, has often criticised the media’s “obsession” with Dhoni, suggesting it overlooks the contributions of the entire team.
While he has not directly blamed Dhoni for his career’s end, his comments hint at a deeper rift and a feeling of being unfairly dropped despite good performances.
3. Yuvraj Singh:
The Player of the Tournament in the 2011 World Cup, Yuvraj Singh’s career trajectory saw a downturn after his battle with cancer. While he made a heroic comeback, his presence in the team became inconsistent. Yuvraj admitted that he and Dhoni were never “close friends” and that there were differences in their lifestyles and decisions on the field.
He has also stated that he approached Dhoni for clarity on his career before the 2019 World Cup and was told that the selectors were not considering him. Yuvraj’s father Yograj Singh has been far more direct, often blaming MS Dhoni for his son’s exclusion.
4. Harbhajan Singh:
The veteran off-spinner, a part of the 2007 T20 and 2011 ODI World Cup-winning squads, has accused Dhoni of ending his career prematurely. After retiring, he expressed bewilderment at being dropped from the national team despite a strong record.
Harbhajan Singh claimed that he was never given a clear reason for his exclusion by Dhoni and that the players from the 2011 squad were unceremoniously discarded.
5. Irfan Pathan:
The promising all-rounder’s career, which had a meteoric rise, fizzled out under Dhoni’s captaincy. Irfan Pathan has said that he was inexplicably dropped from the team despite being a match-winner in both ODIs and T20Is.
He has also revealed a conversation with then-coach Gary Kirsten, who told him that “some things were not in his hands”, a statement Irfan took to imply Dhoni was behind the decision. He was never given a clear explanation for his exclusion and eventually lost his place in the side.
While MS Dhoni’s fans argue that as a captain, his duty was to build a winning team, even if it meant making tough decisions, the public statements from these cricketers reveal a persistent narrative of senior players feeling unsupported and left in the dark. It underscores the complex dynamics of team leadership and the personal toll that strategic shifts can take on a player’s career.
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