"Gautam Gambhir played with the ego of MS Dhoni" - Irfan Pathan narrates an instance when Gautam Gambhir got the better of MS Dhoni
Former Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan felt that Gautam Gambhir was the only player to play with MS Dhoni's ego when he led the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
As things stand, Dhoni is still captaining the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) while Gambhir is the global mentor of the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). Over the years, Gambhir has been notorious for throwing jabs at MSD, particularly over the 2011 World Cup final-winning six.
During Hindi commentary on the recent CSK-LSG clash, Pathan spoke about Gautam Gambhir getting into Dhoni's head during their playing days in CSK-KKR matches and said:
"Gautam Gambhir managed to rattle MS Dhoni for years by playing with his ego. Gambhir's strategy of setting up a Test match-like field and bringing in close-in fielders worked against Dhoni, who was left rattled to the core."
Gambhir had a history of bringing close-in fielders as soon as Dhoni came to the crease. He would also utilize his spinners, Sunil Narine, Piyush Chawla, and Shakib Al Hasan, especially during the latter stages of Dhoni's career from around 2015 to 2017. Dhoni was dismissed for several low scores against KKR during that period, averaging just 15.8 at a strike rate of 98.4 in six innings.
The pair have been among the most successful captains in IPL history, with MS Dhoni leading CSK to four titles and Gautam Gambhir leading KKR to two titles. They also starred in India's 2007 and 2011 World Cup triumphs.
Irfan Pathan was also a valuable member of the 2007 T20 World Cup team, producing a Man-of-the-Match performance against Pakistan in the final.
"Whether it's his last year or not, only MS Dhoni knows" - Virender Sehwag on whether this will be MSD's last IPL
Former Indian opener Virender Sehwag is unhappy about the speculation over whether the ongoing IPL would be MS Dhoni's swansong. The duo played together for India and were integral to the team's success at the 2007 and 2011 World Cup.
Speaking to Cricbuzz, Sehwag felt that each player's retirement should be left to them and needn't be speculated upon. He said:
"I just don't understand; why do they even ask? Even if it's his last year, why do you have to ask the player? It's his call; let him take that! Maybe he just wanted to get that answer out of Dhoni—that it was indeed his last season. Whether it's his last year or not, only MS Dhoni knows."
Sehwag gave his opinion after Danny Morrison assumed the ongoing season to be a farewell for MSD during the toss of the CSK-LSG clash. The CSK skipper clarified that it was an assumption by Morrison and not something he has publicly announced.
The match between CSK and LSG was abandoned due to rain and both teams are on 11 points with five wins and four losses.