There is a theory in Indian cricket that head coach Gautam Gambhir is not a big fan of former captain and legendary stumper MS Dhoni. He has often questioned the significance given to Dhoni‘s iconic six in the 2011 World Cup final against Sri Lanka. He indirectly also blamed the Ranchi legend for his dismissal on 97 in the same match, claiming Dhoni reminded him of his ton after which he lost focus.
To be fair to Gambhir, though, there have also been a number of instances where he has been highly effusive in his praise of the two-time World Cup-winning captain. In fact, back in November 2017, while speaking on Kolkata Knight Riders’ weekly TV show Knight Club, Gambhir admitted that he enjoyed playing a lot under Dhoni’s leadership. The former KKR skipper commented:
While Dhoni had an exceptional record as leader in white-ball cricket, he wasn’t as successful in the Test format. Under him, India suffered 4-0 whitewashes in Australia and England in 2011-12. Admitting that Dhoni had his weaknesses as leader, Gambhir hailed his former teammate for accepting defeats with grace.
Dhoni retired from international cricket in August 2020 after a stellar career. He represented India in 535 matches across the three formats and scored 17,092 runs at an average of 44.74, with 15 hundreds and 108 half-centuries.
Dhoni remains the only captain in international cricket to have won all three white-ball ICC titles. After leading India to victory in the 2007 T20 World Cup in South Africa, he guided the Men in Blue to title triumph in the 2011 ODI World Cup at home. Under him, India also won the 2013 Champions Trophy in England.
The 43-year-old led India in 60 Tests, winning 27 matches and losing 18, while drawing the rest. In ODIs, he won 110 out of 200 games and in T20Is, he led India to victory in 41 out of 72 matches.
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