MS Dhoni is without a doubt the finest skipper and finisher to have ever represented India in cricket. He is the only Indian skipper to win three ICC trophies: the 2007 World T20, the ICC World Cup in 2011, and the ICC Champions Trophy in 2013. However, the animosity that has evolved towards him is something that many people can obviously perceive. Being an Indian captain is a difficult job, and Dhoni has taken a lot of heat for it over the years.
Virat Kohli’s record in all three formats of the game, like MS Dhoni’s, speaks for itself. Kohli is currently the finest batsman on the planet. He is a world-class cricketer because of his ability to score runs at crucial times. As a captain, Kohli has enjoyed a fair amount of success.
He took over as captain in 2017 and has since guided India to the semi-finals of both the 2017 ICC Champions Title and the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup. He is currently aiming for an ICC trophy. Kohli, like MS Dhoni, has his fair share of haters.
MS Dhoni’s calm and cool demeanor has been beneficial to India to some extent, but his tactics and methods in Test cricket have not been as successful as in limited-overs cricket. With his aggressive firing captaincy, Virat Kohli has shown to be a fantastic Test captain, something that was maybe lacking during MS Dhoni’s tenure.
Exclusion of senior players
MS Dhoni is accused of benching a number of experienced players who were not in excellent physical shape. Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, and Anil Kumble are among the players who have been left out of the limited-overs team. The IPL’s popularity ushered in a slew of fresh players, infusing the Indian squad with vigor and zeal. Moreover, despite a strong World Cup campaign at home in 2011, experienced cricketers such as Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag, and Yuvraj Singh had very few opportunities. The matter became more serious when players like Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag were dropped from the team. Dhoni received a lot of flak for this.
Batting approach
Dhoni had a different approach to the game a few years ago, especially when batting in the death overs. He has won several games for India, gaining the title of “no. 1 finisher.” The most notable of these was in the 2011 ICC World Cup final when he hit a six over the long-on fielder to beat Sri Lanka and win the cherished trophy for the first time in 28 years. But these days, he has this approach of going deep, which hasn’t worked well on certain instances but has worked great on others. Fans are furious, believing he is either placing too much pressure on the other players or leaving too much for the final few overs. As a result of his lethargic batting style, he has received harsh criticism from fans.
Failure in Tests
After his success with the limited-overs squad, MS Dhoni was named captain of the Test squad, with the selectors pinning all their hopes on the young man. The Jharkhand-born cricketer quickly paid back the faith, leading his team to the top of the Test rankings with two straight home series victories. When India began performing abroad, though, the tides began to change. The Indians had a rough time in the 6-7 months after the 2011 World Cup, as they lost Test, ODI, and T20I series to England and were also hammered by Australia in Australia. MS Dhoni, the Indian captain, was once again criticized for failing to capitalize on the momentum generated by the 2011 victory.
Biasness towards CSK players
Since the first season of the IPL in 2008, MS Dhoni has been the captain of the Chennai Super Kings. Innumerable cricketers have emerged from the competition who have gone on to represent India and routinely perform well. Dhoni was the captain of the Indian squad during the IPL’s rise as a young cricketer-producing factory. Dhoni was accused of being biased towards Chennai players when selecting the India side over other excellent cricketers in the country. During this time, numerous Chennai cricketers made their international debuts. Following this, many people began to accuse Dhoni of being prejudiced toward CSK players.
Not making changes in the squad
Another factor that enraged some fans was his unwavering support for people such as Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, and others. Ravindra Jadeja was still playing well in Tests in 2011-2013, but the strange situation of Rohit Sharma was causing a lot of consternation. People liked Rohit, but they believed he was being pushed ahead of other players like Ambati Rayudu and the out-of-touch Yuvraj Singh. Gautam Gambhir, Irfan Pathan, and Ambati Rayudu, for example, did not get the opportunities they deserved.