Umpire Sudhir Asnani recalls MS Dhoni's reaction to a decision of his
Indian umpire Sudhir Asnani recalled an incident when former India skipper MS Dhoni lost his cool and expressed his displeasure at his decision. The incident turned into a special memory for the umpire because of Dhoni's spirit of the game and his humility. Dhoni earned another fan at the end of it.
Dhoni was called 'Captain Cool' for his ability to stay calm and composed even in the most demanding situations. India's most successful skipper has seldom allowed his emotions to get the better of him and has rarely ever expressed his displeasure at umpiring decisions.
Asnani, who has umpired in 10 ODIs, four T20Is and 23 IPL fixtures, shared his experience when Dhoni actually expressed his displeasure at a decision of his.
The incident occurred during an England-India ODI. Ishant Sharma's ball struck Kevin Pietersen on his pad and the whole team appealed for an lbw.
Asnani said, "As I turned down the appeal, the fielders slumped to the ground." Dhoni went up to the umpire and expressed his displeasure at the decision. "I told him (Dhoni) the ball was missing the off-stump," the umpire said. "I was really shaken by his disagreement. As nervousness got the better of me, I lost track of the happenings in the game," Asnani said.
However, during the drinks break fourth umpire Anil Chaudhary told Asnani that he was being praised for his decision by the commentators and this helped him regain his confidence. Dhoni apparently overheard their conversation and went up to Asnani and said, "One plus, Sudhir."
Asnani was astonished by the captain's wonderful gesture. "I have never seen a captain do this to an umpire in my entire life," he said.
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