MS Dhoni is a modern marvel of the game of cricket. A player whose skills just seem to transcend into the pantheon of legends. But he was never one to boast about them or showoff on the cricket field. Without a doubt, he has to be one of the greatest captains the game has seen.
A skipper who has won games by the dozen. And by willing his team on to victory from insurmountable positions. He is the only captain to win every ICC trophy that the game to offer. And has been successful in etching his name into the history books, indelibly creating a legend of his own name.
But every person is a villain in someone else’s story. That is what we have been told and so seems to be the case. And a few surely believe that MS Dhoni was the villain for them, if not for others.
Here we look at the 6 players who fell out with MS Dhoni over the years-
1. Yuvraj Singh
Once a close long-term friend of Mahi, both on and off the pitch as well, Yuvraj Singh had some good moments with the former Indian skipper. This was visible in a number of excellent partnerships that they had. But ever since the World Cup 2011, he has accused the keeper of backstabbing him. This was quoted by Yuvraj Singh’s father Yograj Singh.
While some clearly believe that the reason for dropping him was poor form, it has long since been rumored that it had more to do than that. And not just MS Dhoni, Yograj also accused Virat Kohli and the BCCI of this as well.
2. Gautam Gambhir
The former Indian opener was one the cornerstones of both the 2007 T20 World Cup, as well as the 2011 World Cup. He was one of the key stars in the squad for the longest time. Despite that, his contributions have always seemed to be put to the back-burner, while the skipper took away all the credit (as per him).
This was reiterated by the player himself on several occasions. Another factor was that Dhoni had labeled him as a slow fielder post the World Cup. In short, Gambhir was bitter about a lot of things. MS Dhoni was the villain of his story’s end and that is something that Gambhir has been very vocal about throughout.
3. Virender Sehwag
Viru was one of the most explosive and aggressive batsmen of his generation. Despite that, it was also felt that he alienated by the former skipper. Sehwag had openly lashed out at MS Dhoni for alienating him during his time as captain. He said that they were not told about being “slow fielders” by the captain.
Instead, they were directly knowing about it through that press conference. This made a lot of people upset about the fact that they were not told about it during the meeting. And that such things should not be expressed first in press-conferences.
4. Harbhajan Singh
One of the greatest spinners that India has produced to play the game in all formats. Turbanator, as the fans loved to call him, Harbhajan Singh was the one who fearlessly bowled with the sole intention of taking wickets. Stopping the flow of runs wasn’t his real concern.
But even he was not spared by the alleged ill-treatment by the ex-skipper. Singh feels that MS Dhoni is one of the reasons that his career was bought to such a premature end.
He believed that the people in big positions did not value his contributions. Further, when he approached the captain to demand an explanation, his silence on the matter was all the spinner needed to know.
5. Suresh Raina
The bond between Suresh Raina and Mahi is one that many people swear by. It was a great friendship that a lot of people looked up to. Their bond cultivated in the Indian dressing room and it further blossomed in the CSK dugout postthat. And together they enjoyed a rather successful time together.
They managed to win 4 IPL titles and broke countless records along the way. The mutual respect was so strong that they both announced their retirement on the same day as well. But their friendship came to a halt with Raina not being retained by the side in the 2022 IPL. He was unsold as well and this did not seem to go down well with the fans either.
6. Ravindra Jadeja
While it has been maintained that Jadeja left the IPL bubble due to a rib injury, a lot of the sources believed that there was a major clash between the all-rounder and the Chennai Super Kings’ team management. Fans surely believe that MS Dhoni holds a considerable sphere of power in the management of the CSK team. And though the duo never had any problems playing for Team India, this is a more recent issue.
Well, for now, one of the best all-rounders in World Cricket, Jadeja, has returned to the side. Whether the issue surrounding his failed captaincy stint and the rest of last season is said or done or not, remains to be seen. However, this could be the final season for MS Dhoni, so things may end well for the Team In Yellow!!
