Cricketers who blamed MSD for ending their careers

MS Dhoni is regarded as one of the best captains in world cricket as he guided Team India to major achievements in international cricket with his sensational leadership skills. Riding on his exceptional

captaincy prowess, India won all major International Cricket Council (ICC) trophies. Dhoni’s fans revere him a lot and his popularity can be corroborated by the fact that he still has a large fanbase after six years of his retirement from international cricket.

Dhoni’s career is decorated with not just achievements but some allegations as well. The Ranchi-born player is often blamed for finishing his colleagues’ career during his stint in the national side. Noting this fact, SportsTiger has come up with five names who directly and indirectly accused Dhoni of ending their careers.

Here are five Cricketers who blamed MS Dhoni for ending their careers

5. Manoj Tiwary

Manoj Tiwaryplayed 15 international matches for Team India and during this period, he also smashed a century against the West Indies in a One-Day International (ODI) game played in Chennai. Following this game, he played a handful of matches for India and that too under Ajinkya Rahane, who was the stand-in captain of the team in Dhoni’s absence.

In a conversation with CricTracker, Tiwary accused Dhoni of favouritism. “A lot of people know, but not everyone comes forward and speaks about it. So there is a very strong liking and disliking that happens in cricket everywhere. So I consider myself not liking one. He (Dhoni) did not like me, maybe. That is the only thing that I can answer you", said Tiwary.

4. Gautam Gambhir

Current Team Indiahead coach Gautam Gambhir played an instrumental role in India’s success in the T20 World Cup 2007 and World Cup 2011. Following the World Cup 2011 triumph, the equation between Gambhir and Dhoni plummeted heavily. After his retirement in 2018, Gambhir appeared in a chat with the Lallantop and alluded that Dhoni’s stature left him unpunished after India’s miserable loss against Australia in the 2011-12 but the left-handed batter was removed from the vice-captaincy role.

"The CB series that was talking about, India did not qualify for the final, Australia and Sri Lanka did. I was the vice-captain, MS Dhoni was the captain. After that series were supposed to travel for a tri-series involving India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. We had not qualified for the final, before that we had lost the Test series 4-0. Dhoni was also under pressure, he was the captain," remarked Gambhir. Following the Australia tour, Gambhir’s career got impacted negatively and he also failed to become a regular member of the team.

3. Virender Sehwag

Former India opener Virender Sehwag once revealed that MS Dhoni dropped him during the CB Series played Down Under in 2012 and following that, he started pondering about retiring from ODIs. However, it was Sachin Tendulkar, who advised Sehwag to not make any such emotional decision. “I went to Tendulkar and said, ‘I am thinking of retiring from ODIs’. He said, ‘No, I went through a similar phase in 1999-2000, where I felt I should leave cricket. But that phase came and went. So, you are going through a trough, but it will pass. Don’t make any decision when you are emotional,” said Sehwag on Padamjeet Sehrawat's YouTube channel.

2. Irfan Pathan

Ex-India all-rounder Irfan Pathan also blamed MS Dhoni for ending the former’s international career. Irfan’s career got hit in 2009 when he didn’t get a chance in the five-match ODI series in New Zealand. Following this, Pathan asked the-then head coach Gary Kirsten the reason for the former not getting a chance in the playing XI. Kirsten replied that things aren’t in his hands.

In a conversation with The Lallantop, Pathan remarked that Dhoni was selecting the team’s playing XI and the speedster’s services weren’t needed then for the team. The Playing XI was picked by the captain. This was Dhoni’s call—that Irfan is not needed now. That was the captain’s prerogative.

1. Harbhajan Singh

Harbhajan Singh was a gem for Team India during his playing days as the spin wizard delivered several match-winning moments to the side during his career. A couple of years after the World Cup 2011, Team India went through major reforms and Harbhajan was one of the players who was no longer a regular member in the side.

After retiring from international cricket Harabhajan disclosed that he queried Dhoni several times that why the former isn’t getting a chance in the squad and who’s behind this. The spin-bowling legend said that he didn’t get any response from Dhoni on this matter. With this statement, Harbhjan targeted Dhoni and also accused the latter of finishing his career. “I tried to ask the captain (Dhoni) why, but I wasn’t given a reason. I realised there is no point in me asking for the reason for this treatment, and who is behind it because if you keep asking and no one replies, then it’s better to leave it,” revealed Harbhjan on India TV.