MS Dhoni sacrificed his batting for the sake of the team, Gautam Gambhir remembered the old days
former captain of india ms dhoni (MS Dhoni) is undoubtedly one of the most favorite players in the world. Over the years, Dhoni has gained a huge number of fans not only in the form of common people but also in the form of many former and present cricketers. However, former Indian batsman Gautam Gambhir Dhoni’s friendship with (Gautam Gambhir) is always in the news. Despite this, on several occasions, the former Kolkata Knight Riders captain has questioned the media for glorifying only the captain’s role in India’s 2011 World Cup victory and not giving credit to the entire team.
Dhoni could change any game
However, Gautam Gambhir recently told Star Sports how MS Dhoni had sacrificed his batting position for the sake of the team. Whereas he could bat at number three. Gambhir said, ‘MS (Dhoni) was India’s first wicketkeeper who could change the game with his batting. Generally the keeper is the keeper first and the batsman second. But MS was first a batsman and then a wicketkeeper. It was a blessing for Indian cricket that we got MS Dhoni as a wicketkeeper-batsman who can win matches even if you bat at number seven.
Gambhir praised Dhoni fiercely
He said that Dhoni has a power game. If MS had batted at number three, I am sure he could have broken many ODI records. Gambhir further said that people always talk about MS Dhoni and his achievements as a captain, which is absolutely true. But I think because of captaincy he sacrificed the batsman within him. He could have achieved a lot more with his bat which he did not do. This happens when you are the captain. Because then you put the team first and you forget about yourself.
Dhoni could have batted at number three
Gautam Gambhir said, ‘He started batting at number 6 or 7. If he had not been the captain, he would have batted at number 3 for India. And I think he could do that. He could have scored more than what he has scored and could have scored more centuries as well. Dhoni is arguably India’s greatest captain ever, having led the team to three major ICC victories.
Dhoni won three ICC trophies for India
Under the leadership of MS Dhoni, India won the 2007 T20 World Cup, 2011 ODI World Cup and 2013 Champions Trophy. Overall, he led India in 332 matches, the most by any captain in international cricket. Of these, he won 178, lost 120, six were tied and 15 had no result. His win percentage as a captain is 53.61. This, combined with the trophies he has won, makes him India’s most successful captain ever.
Dhoni has a great record in ODI
In these 332 ODI matches, he has scored 11,207 runs in 330 innings at an average of 46.89 and a strike rate of over 76. He scored 11 centuries and 71 half-centuries as a captain, with his best score being 224. It would be absolutely correct to say that the burden of captaincy had no effect on MS. Dhoni’s strongest format has been ODI.
Dhoni’s dominance in franchise cricket also
MS Dhoni’s success at the international level also affected franchise cricket. He represented and led Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Rising Pune Supergiant (RPG) in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Dhoni won five IPL titles while captaining CSK in 2010, 2011, 2018, 2021 and 2023. With this year’s win, he equaled the five wins of Mumbai Indians. He also won two Champions League T20 titles with CSK in 2010 and 2014.
Fans still want to see Dhoni play
MS Dhoni’s fans still wanted to see him playing on the field. The number of Dhoni’s fans in the IPL 2023 season was estimated. Wherever Dhoni’s team played, the stadium was seen painted yellow. There were speculations that this would be Dhoni’s last IPL. But he put an end to these rumors after winning the trophy. He said that he wants to play one more season for his franchise. Just have to see how fit he is for this. After IPL, Dhoni had to undergo knee surgery.
