major controversies of MS Dhoni: Mahendra Singh Dhoni is an iconic figure in not just Indian cricket but in world cricket too. He is popularly known as captain cool. Dhoni’s brand was built on this very same principle. The ‘cool’ captain theory did pay rich dividends too. But there is no escaping the fact that Dhoni had his fair share of controversies too. He was embroiled in a lot of controversies both on and off the field.
We look at the 5 major controversies involving MS Dhoni:
#5 The Amrapali case
The Amrapali group between 2010 and 2014 came up with a proposal to construct about 42,000 residential flats in and around Greater Noida and the Noida region. It accepted advances from prospective buyers, ranging from 40 percent to 100 percent value of the flats. This was even before a sales agreement was registered.
The group had promised the project completion in 3 years. But the group failed to live up to the promise. This resulted in flat buyers taking them to court. The Supreme Court ordered an audit. Its findings concluded that the group had cleverly diverted over INR 5,500 crore in name of different companies.
Dhoni, previously a brand ambassador of the group, found himself in unwanted controversy. He was dragged to the court too. The Supreme Court, in July 2022, canceled Amrapali Group’s registration. It was one controversy that clearly happened off the field.
#4 The non-commitment in IPL spot-fixing
Players from Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) were suspended from the IPL in a spot-fixing scandal. The event transpired in 2013 when the principal owners of the teams were also found guilty. India traveled to England for the Champions Trophy in 2013 in wake of this scandal.
Dhoni was constantly questioned about his involvement in the scandal. But Dhoni didn’t utter a single word in the press conference. The silence was deafening for everyone who admired Dhoni.
#3 Dropping seniors post taking over as captain
MS Dhoni had a very clear vision when he became the full-time ODI captain of the side in 2007. He had left out senior players like Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid from the squad. His argument was that India needs younger players on the grounds of Australia.
The theory repeated itself four years down the line. Dhoni alternatively kept dropping Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, and Gautam Gambhir. This decision didn’t go down well with Indian fans.
#2 The Sehwag factor
Right since MS Dhoni took over as India’s captain, his equation with Sehwag always seemed to be iffy. Sehwag missed out on playing the T20 World Cup final. His absence was dismissed as an injury. But things did reach a fever pitch ahead of the T20 World Cup in 2009.
It was reported that Dhoni and Sehwag don’t look each other eye to eye. To quash all the speculations, Dhoni asked the entire Indian team to assemble for the pre-tournament press conference. This incident didn’t go down well with the fans and media.
#1 Mid-pitch meltdown
The cricketing world in 2019 by now knew of the other side of MS Dhoni too. They were aware that the cool captain too lost his calm at times. In a tense IPL game, Dhoni barged mid-pitch to contest an umpiring decision. The commentators, and players nobody could make of Dhoni’s interference. This episode went viral on social media. Dhoni’s angry act showed that not all times the game is bigger than a player. It was a sad day for cricket!
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