MS Dhoni's 5 most recent altercations with journalists
All is not well with India’s limited-overs captain, MS Dhoni. No, he is still as quick as he was when running between the wickets, he is still lightning quick while adding to his record tally of stumpings, he can still hit a six off his first ball, and his brain still functions the best when the game is tightest and other players experience brain freezes.
However, there is a new face of Dhoni visible these days whenever confronted with journalists, a face that betrays the pressures of a decade of dealing with the questions and expectations of a cricket-crazy nation. The captain’s altercations with journalists are happening at an alarming frequency these days, and surprisingly, are often being initiated by him.
Such is the state of affairs that Dhoni’s jokes, which earlier used to send roomfuls of journalists at press conferences into splits, now mostly draw exchanges of confused looks.
On Sunday, he began answering questions at an IPL promotional event by saying, "Depending on the quality of questions you ask it may go up to six in the next (such press conference) or come back to zero.”
No previous captain has been known to be so aggressive with the media, but perhaps no previous India captain has had to face this degree of aggression from the media either.
The question as to when he will retire has been posed to him in almost every second press conference he has attended since around 2012.The last few years have taken their toll, and now there is perhaps a defence mechanism which Dhoni carries around whenever he sees journalists around. And so, sometimes without any instigations, he lashes out.
The five most recent instances when his words left reporters stunned:
Helicopters in submarines
Before the series decider in the 3-match T20 series against Sri Lanka in February, Dhoni was faced with an uncomfortable volley of questions (some on how he was treating Yuvraj Singh), but let loose at a surprisingly harmless question.
Towards the end of the session, one elderly reporter was heard asking Dhoni why he did not play his famous helicopter shot anymore.
At this, he hesitated for a moment before embarking on a lengthy philosophical discourse. He said, “See, a helicopter needs a particular place to fly. If you go underwater into a submarine and ask why there are no helicopters there, then that will be a problem. I cannot play it to a bouncer unless I get a stool with me.”
The patronising tone of the answer was a little surprising, but not criticised much. It was said that he could have deflected the helicopter question politely, it was also said that the questions about his treatment of Yuvraj had tipped him close to boiling point. Yuvraj was then being pushed down the order and not being given time to settle back into the international fold, and there were questions asked about this.
However, not many were prepared for how vindictive the India captain would become in the coming month.