MS Dhoni is without a doubt one of India’s greatest captains of all time. He’s done it all, from dealing with senior players like a pro to managing the transition phase with extreme patience. The wicket-keeper batsman has had his ups and downs in his career, but he has always tried to contribute to Indian cricket’s best interests.
When you look at his captaincy style, you’ll notice that he’s a man who believes in four-year plans. He had his sights set on the World Cup and wanted to put together a team to compete in it. However, he had no choice but to let go of a few senior players in the process. Some of the country’s best wicketkeepers were denied opportunities because he was the best behind the stumps. As a result, MS Dhoni is frequently accused of cutting the careers of a few players short.
In this article, we look at Wicketkeepers whose career was spoiled due to MS Dhoni’s brilliance :
1. Wriddhiman Saha
As he awaited his turn, Saha, who had been praised by experts and critics for his incredible acrobatics and glove skills, was probably the least well-known among the Indian audience. Early in his career, Saha was benched due to MS Dhoni’s dominance, but he was given a surprise Test call-up in 2010 for a home series against South Africa. The wicket-keeper made his debut in that series and performed admirably, but he soon returned to warming the benches and became a regular reserve wicket-keeper for the Indian team. When MS Dhoni announced his unexpected Test retirement during the Australian tour in December 2014, Saha was granted his job and was the Indian Test team’s constant behind the wickets for a few years.
2. Dinesh Karthik
During his younger years, the Tamil Nadu wicketkeeper-batsman was regarded as an absolute superstar in his circles. Many cricketers, notably Ravichandran Ashwin, have stated that they used to be in awe of him when he batted. Prior to MS Dhoni, Karthik made his international debut. Initially, though, he was unable to have much of an impression at the top levels. The management then decided to give Dhoni a chance as a wicketkeeper, which quickly became a success. Dhoni was a ferocious hitter of the ball and possessed lightning hands behind the wickets. Karthik could only come in as a pure batter or a back-up keeper now that his spot in the team has been secured across formats. He, on the other hand, was unable to compete with the other wicket-keepers. Dinesh had a couple of opportunities in the team as a pure batsman, but he was never able to make an impact.
3. Robin Uthappa
Uthappa was a unique player who was not afraid to take risks with his strokes. Uthappa’s career did not take off because of two great players: MS Dhoni grabbed his opportunity as a keeper, while young Virat Kohli took his position as a solid middle-order batsman. Uthappa made his ODI debut in 2006 and was a regular member of the squad till the 2007 World T20 when he was an important part of India’s victorious campaign. In 2008, he went away owing to bad form, and he was not called back for six years until his brilliant performance in the IPL in 2014. However, it was never going to stay, and he was forced to return to the domestic circuit.
4. Naman Ojha
The fluent stroke player, who was touted for selection back in 2004, finally got an opportunity to play in Indian colors in ODIs in 2010. That was it; his ODI fantasy was only going to last a day. Through his domestic achievements throughout the years, Ojha has always shown the potential to excel. During his heyday, he even demonstrated his attacking style by playing some excellent knocks in the IPL. He made his domestic debut in 2000-01 and was another player who was forced to sit out owing to Dhoni’s absence. Now that Rishabh Pant has taken over after Dhoni, Ojha’s international career is all but over.
5. Parthiv Patel
Parthiv began his career on a promising note, both with the bat and with the gloves, and he went on to play several notable innings internationally until the Pakistan tour of 2004. However, he was eventually discarded due to his sloppy glove performance in the next series. Before Dhoni became a staple in the side for the following decade, other possibilities such as Dinesh Karthik were attempted in his stead. Patel returned to the national team in 2008, but was once again demoted and became irregular in the squad as a backup goalkeeper. Among these list players, Patel was the first to be picked to play for India, but opportunities did not follow him even after Dhoni’s retirement in 2014.
