MS Dhoni is the most successful captain in the history of Indian Cricket. He has led India to a World Cup win, World T20 win, and an ICC Champions Trophy win as well. His secret lies in the way he treats the youngsters in his team, or as he treated when he was the captain.
However, his eyes have missed out on catching the young talents of Indian cricket back then. A number of players did not get a chance to be regular members of the team when Dhoni was the captain. The switch of captaincy from Sourav Ganguly to MS Dhoni was an unfortunate one, however, he managed to handle the team. However, Dhoni could not spot the raw talent that Ganguly did during his captaincy days.
Let’s take a look at five players who missed out on an opportunity in the Indian team under Dhoni’s captaincy.
1.Dinesh Karthik
A wicketkeeper-batsman from Tamil Nadu, Dinesh Karthik made his debut in 2004 under the captaincy of Sourav Ganguly. However, the man could not perform at the highest level for team India. He played as a regular member of the team from 2006 to 2008. However, he only received chances when Dhoni or any other top-order batsman was injured. Karthik lost his place in the team when Wriddhiman Saha was selected in 2008. Dinesh Karthik was not the only gloveman who lost his place to MS Dhoni. But the reality was Dhoni’s influential presence on the field along with his ability behind the stumps and the bat made him irreplaceable.
2.Parthiv Patel
The wicketkeeper-batsman from Gujarat made his international debut in the year 2002. Parthiv Patel’s attacking persona with the bat gave him an elongated run in the Indian team. But again, the emergence of Dinesh Karthik and MS Dhoni and the left-hander’s sloppy work behind the stumps got him out of the side. The veteran did keep making sporadic appearances in the national side. However, with the arrival of more glovemen in the domestic circuit, he had to compete harder than ever.
3.Mohammad Kaif
Mohammad Kaif shot into the limelight, having led India to victory in the U19 World Cup. The right-hander won a Test cap soon after that; however, he was a limited-overs specialist. The right-hander could never feature under MS Dhoni’s captaincy. Kaif was also one of the energetic fielders, capable of effecting run-outs and taking high-flying catches. Finally, he announced his retirement in July 2018, having played his last international match in 2006.
4.Murali Karthik
Like most of the spinners in India, Murali Kartik enjoyed brief success. Having made his debut under Sourav Ganguly, he mainly played second fiddle to the pair of Harbhajan Singh and Anil Kumble. The left-arm spinner continued to play English county cricket and was instrumental in Middlesex’s triumphant campaign in 2008.
However, his homecoming was short-lived. The coming years saw Harbhajan Singh assume the role of the leading spinner and the emergence of Amit Mishra, Ravichandran Ashwin, and Ravindra Jadeja under MS Dhoni’s charge.
5.Dinesh Mongia
Dinesh Mongia may not be the most star-studded player in the Indian line-up at that time, but his dedication and doggedness as a floater batsman made his place worth. Mongia enjoyed his major success under Sourav Ganguly. His spot on the team came under suspicion due to technical flaws. Despite that, he made his way to the World Cup squad in 2003 where India lost to Australia in the final. But managing 120 runs in 11 fixtures at an average of 20 wasn’t enough to guarantee his spot.
Mongia played in India’s inaugural T20 international against South Africa in 2006 where he was the highest run-scorer for them. He still couldn’t feature in India’s T20 World Cup squad in 2007. He announced his retirement from all forms of cricket in September 2019, having played his last international game in 2007.
