So these are the 5 Reasons Behind Indian Fans' Criticism of MS Dhoni!

(MS Dhoni in the Indian Jersey during the 2016 T20 World Cup)

A captain who has achieved every possible feat in his career, Mahendra Singh Dhoni is a name that has been an emotion for cricket fans because of his contribution to the Indian cricket team. With trophies such as the T20 World Cup, ODI World Cup, Champions Trophy, Test Mace, Asia Cup and many more, Dhoni has led the Indian team well during his tenure and it makes him one of the best cricketers in Indian cricket history. However, his career has not always been a bed of roses as there have been several fans who hate him because of some reasons. Despite achieving so much in his career, he is constantly criticised for some of his decisions and the way he played which has been a thing to know for his fans out there.

List of the Reasons why some fans hate MS Dhoni

While many fans adore him, Dhoni also has his fair share of critics, making him a bit of a debated figure in cricket. Despite the disagreements, Dhoni's influence on Indian cricket is undeniable, shaping its history in profound ways. His calm demeanour under pressure and game-changing strategies have left an indelible mark on the sport. The reasons for those have been listed for the fans:

1. Rifts with Indian team players

MS Dhoni led a great team in the T20 World Cup, ODI World Cup and Champions Trophy and managed to win all three of them. With players such as Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, Irfan Pathan, Virender Sehwag and others, he got the Indian team 3 trophies in just 7 years of span. However, there has been constant news of rifts between MS Dhoni and all the other players in the lineup. With all of them being retired now, the former cricketers have always been in the news because of their criticisng statements on their former captain MS Dhoni.

(MS Dhoni and Gautam Gambhir during a match for the Indian team)

In the debates and all, players like Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir and Harbhajan Singh are constantly seen giving controversial statements on MS Dhoni regarding their selection in the Indian team after the 2011 ODI World Cup. Furthermore, these players have often shared their views on Dhoni’s captaincy and have said that any captain would have won the ICC Trophies for the country if they had such players in the squad. This is where some fans feel that MS Dhoni played the role of villain in the careers of these cricketers.

2. 2019 World Cup Semi-Final Innings

In the 2019 ODI World Cup, India was one of the strongest contenders to lift the Trophy because of their team formation and the way they were playing that year. With Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in top form along with the middle order contributing well, things were looking set for the Men in Blue to take the trophy home. However, it was the Semi-Finals match against New Zealand that shook the whole country and shattered their dreams of winning the World Cup after 8 years. With the team’s score being 5-3 while chasing 240 runs, it was the partnership of MS Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja that brought the team back into the contest.

(MS Dhoni playing a dot ball when 25 runs were required of just 11 balls)

But during the run chase, at one end Jadeja played a handy knock of 77 runs from just 59 balls while MS Dhoni got 50 runs from 72 balls and it sparked a debate. Moreover, the fans saw Dhoni constantly leaving the balls when the required run rate was high and hence the fans were shocked to see that. With the finishing ability that MS Dhoni had, everyone was expecting him to play a bit fast but he was run out by Martin Guptill and hence India suffered a defeat in that match.

3. Being too defensive in the Overseas Test Matches

Being one of the most successful captains in the white-ball format, MS Dhoni looked to be a mediocre captain in the red-ball format. At home, he was an amazing captain who used to win the matches easily and hence the fans always expected him to replicate this performance in the overseas too. However, with the defeats in England and Australia on a regular basis, the expectations were cut short and hence the fans started hating his approach in the longer format. Out of the 60 test matches as a captain, he managed to win 27 of them with a win percentage of 45%.

(MS Dhoni in the Indian Test team Jersey)

Talking about the overseas record of MS Dhoni as a test captain, he managed to win just 6 Test matches out of the 30 played under him. Moreover, his approach of getting a game to draw was one of the most outdated approach and was hated by the fans. With the arrival of Virat Kohli, this approach changed as he kept the “Draw” as the last option and always wanted to go for a win to make the things better for the Indian team.

4. Promoting CSK players in the Indian Squad

Since the start of the Indian Premier League in 2008, Indian Cricket has seen a lot of changes in the squad and there have been numerous players that became a part of the team. With MS Dhoni leading the Chennai Super Kings and the Indian Cricket team, it was evident that the players playing for Chennai would always be in the schemes of the Indian team. This is where the fans hated the point that some deserving players were sidelined because of the players who were playing for the Yellow team in the Indian Premier League.

(MS Dhoni, Ravindra Jadeja and Suresh Raina in CSK Jersey)

Players like Yusuf Pathan, Irfan Pathan, Manoj Tiwari and many others were not given many chances in the Indian team because they were not from the CSK team. On the other side, Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja and R Ashwin were brought to the Indian team despite not performing well and this is where the fans hated MS Dhoni. His nature of giving the Chennai Super Kings an added advantage was always a debatable side.

5. Below par Performances in the ICC Tournaments

Winning an ICC Trophy has always been an achievement that is widely celebrated by the fans of any country and in India, the fans have a habit of giving the credit to the captain for winning an ICC Trophy. However, they fail to see the performances of the captain and hence this is where the fans have constantly criticised MS Dhoni. In the 2011 ODI World Cup, MS Dhoni had just 1 fifty plus scores in the whole tournament while in the 2013 Champions Trophy, he scored a duck in the Finals and hence hardly contributed with the bat for the Indian team.

(MS Dhoni struggling to hit the ball during the 2014 T20 World Cup Finals)

Even in the 2014 and 2016 T20 World Cup, MS Dhoni struggled to put up a show with the bat and still India managed to reach the knockouts of the World Cup as Virat Kohli was in the top form of his game. In the 2016 T20 World Cup, MS Dhoni made just 89 runs from the 5 innings played and had a strike rate of 107.31 only. These things have been the reason why some Indian fans hate the fact that MS Dhoni is given the credit for winning the 3 major ICC Trophies.