Dark Phases Of Dhoni’s Career
Mahendra Singh Dhoni is one of the most revered cricketers in Indian cricket. He is forever credited with being the best captain the country ever produced. Dhoni to his credit did win every cricketing trophy there is. He led a young Indian side to an unprecedented win in the 2007 T20 World Cup. Dhoni took the Test side to the top for the first time. Let us look at some of the Dark Phases Of Dhoni’s Career in detail.
A captain who won everything:
He captained the team to a famous World Cup win in 2011. Dhoni’s international cricketing cabinet came full circle when he led the team to Champions Trophy win in 2013. He is also the longest-serving IPL captain who has led CSK to 4 IPL titles. But Dhoni has had his fair share of low phases.
We look at a few such dark phases of Dhoni’s career:
#5 2007 ODI World Cup
India’s buildup to the 2007 ODI World Cup wasn’t ideal. There was friction between the team and the coach. It resulted in India’s poorest outing in the World Cup in the 21st century. Dhoni still a young member of the team had a disappointing World Cup. He was dismissed for a duck in two of the three innings.
India’s ouster and Dhoni’s failures led to angry fans pelting stones at his house. This incident made Dhoni thick skin and he stayed clear of fan frenzy ever since.
#4 2009 T20 World Cup
There were growing reports of infighting between Dhoni and Virender Sehwag during the 2009 T20 World Cup. A certain section of the media reported that Sehwag and Dhoni don’t see eye to eye. In a bid to rubbish these rumors, Dhoni asked the entire team to address the press conference. This odd approach didn’t help anyone’s cause as the speculations only grew louder. India unsurprisingly went on to lose in the super 8 stages itself.
#3 Consecutive series whitewashes in 2011-12
India was the number-one ranked team until they toured England in 2011. The Indian team suffered a humiliating series whitewash losing 0-4 to a rampant England side. India toured Australia in a space of a few months hoping to better their efforts. But a tame display both with the bat and ball saw them being whitewashed once again. The selectors wanted captain Dhoni to be axed. But the board chairman, N. Srinivasan ensured Dhoni won’t be removed.
#2 CB series selection calls in 2012
MS Dhoni came up with a weird solution to promote young talent during the CB series in Australia in 2011-12. He kept rotating one out of Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, and Gautam Gambhir to give Rohit Sharma a long run. The decision was panned across as players within the dressing room openly expressed their dissent. India’s performance on the field too suffered as the team failed to even make it to the finals.
#1 The spot-fixing scandal in 2013
MS Dhoni’s CSK was one of the two teams whose names appeared in the spot-fixing scandal. Investigations revealed that the principal consultant of the team was involved in the scandal. Dhoni had to address a media briefing ahead of the Champions Trophy in 2013. The journalists kept pegging and asking Dhoni about CSK and the role of its players in the saga. Dhoni didn’t utter a single word throughout and kept a stoic smiling face in the entirety of the session. It was one of the most awkward times for Dhoni.
