After India’s exit from the 2019 ICC World Cup, there has been a lot of speculation about the reasons behind the team’s failure to clinch the title despite their strong potential. Many critics have questioned the decision of team management to include inexperienced players like Dinesh Karthik and Rishabh Pant ahead of MS Dhoni, especially considering the latter’s lackluster performance throughout the tournament.
Although it was clear from the start that India was struggling with the number four batting position, the top order’s rare collapse in the semifinals ultimately led to the Men in Blue’s early exit from the tournament.
Dhoni found himself at the heart of all the excitement and tension during the World Cup. Despite being widely acknowledged as the best finisher in the history of ODI cricket, he was unable to replicate his usual magic and fell short in his efforts to guide the team to victory.
Dhoni seemed to be a shadow of his former self during the tournament, displaying a slower pace of play than usual. Despite his past reputation for being dedicated and committed to the team, he faced criticism on social media, with some calling for him to retire after India’s World Cup campaign.
Throughout his illustrious career, Dhoni has led India to numerous historic series and ICC tournament victories, but he has also faced his fair share of controversies. In this article, we take a closer look at five instances when the legendary cricketer was at a low point.
5. The Fallout from the 2007 ICC World Cup
Following India’s dismal performance and early exit from the 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup, outraged fans took to the streets and vandalized the homes of the Indian cricketers, burning their effigies in protest. Despite Dhoni being a relative newcomer to the team at that time, his house was also targeted and pelted with stones by political activists from JMM (Jharkhand Mukti Morcha).
It was undoubtedly one of the darkest moments in Indian cricket history, with angry mobs causing chaos and disruption throughout the country. In response, security teams were deployed to protect the cricketers’ homes, including Dhoni’s, as a precautionary measure.
Five months later, however, a young Indian team led by Dhoni managed to redeem themselves by winning the inaugural ICC T20 World Cup in South Africa. This victory served as a much-needed boost for Indian cricket and helped to heal the wounds caused by the earlier World Cup debacle.
4. CB Series 2012 in Australia
In the wake of a humiliating 0-4 defeat to Australia in the 2011-12 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, India was scheduled to participate in the CB series, a tri-series featuring hosts Australia and Sri Lanka. Captain Dhoni called for a meeting with senior players Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, and Gautam Gambhir, who were all aged between 33 and 39 and were criticized for their slow fielding and lack of fitness.
Dhoni expressed his concern about fielding issues and informed them that he couldn’t play all three of them at the same time. However, all three players played in the tournament, with Gambhir emerging as India’s second-highest run-scorer after Virat Kohli.
Following this, rumors about a possible rift between Dhoni and the senior players began to circulate, and the captain was heavily criticized by the media and fans. India eventually exited the series as the final was played between Sri Lanka and Australia.
Many believed that Dhoni’s selection method was one of the primary reasons for India’s poor performance in the series. After the tri-series, both Gambhir and Sehwag were dropped from the team and played no more than 20 ODIs.
3. Rhiti Sports Management
In 2015, the BCCI launched an investigation into allegations that MS Dhoni had a 15 percent stake in Rhiti Sports Management, a company that managed the interests of Dhoni and his Chennai Super Kings teammates, including Suresh Raina and Ravindra Jadeja. This caused a stir among former cricketers, who criticized Dhoni for his involvement in the company.
Rhiti Sports Management later clarified that Dhoni had previously owned shares in the company, but did not hold any shares at the time of the dispute. Despite this clarification, documents that were later made public suggested that there was a conflict of interest in Dhoni’s involvement with Rhiti Sports.
2. Spot-fixing Scandal in IPL 2013
It all began with the detention of S Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan by the Delhi police on allegations of spot-fixing. However, the situation took a turn for the worse when the Mumbai Police arrested Chennai Super Kings team principal Gurunath Meiyappan on charges of betting, conspiracy, and cheating.
Despite rumors suggesting the involvement of team management and MS Dhoni, these accusations failed to gain traction. As a consequence, Chennai Super Kings were banned from participating in the IPL for two years by the RM Lodha committee, appointed by the Supreme Court.
1. The 2019 ICC World Cup Aftermath
In recent times, MS Dhoni has been criticized for his underperformance in ODIs. Known for his ability to consistently finish off games, he failed to take the team over the line in the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup.
Following India’s unexpected loss to New Zealand in the semi-finals, many fans resorted to hurling abusive remarks at Dhoni on social media. Some media outlets and TV analysts even started airing farewell montages for Dhoni, even before he had made any announcement himself.
On the other hand, several prominent celebrities and cricketers urged Dhoni not to retire. The Indian cricket team and management were also at fault, as they delayed sending Dhoni to bat when the team was already down three wickets. They waited until things had gotten out of hand.
