IPL 2024

‘Did not expect him making such mistakes’ – Former India batter drops verdict on MS Dhoni’s captaincy in ITL opener against Gujarat

Chennai lost by five wickets to the defending champions Gujarat in the Indian T20 League (ITL) season opener on Friday, continuing their terrible run of form in the league. They suffered their fourth straight ITL defeat, three of which occurred during the 2022 campaign. After the match, veteran India batter Virender Sehwag attacked MS Dhoni for his poor captaincy, saying he was surprised by his errors.

In an interview with Cricbuzz, Sehwag expressed his disagreement with using Tushar Deshpande, who was substituted for Ambati Rayudu. The batting icon believed Dhoni should have given one over to Moeen Ali in the middle phases because the pacer was conceding many runs.

Virendra Sehwag was joined by Manoj Tiwary in criticising Dhoni

“Had Dhoni used an over from Moeen Ali somewhere in the middle, he may not have needed to go to Tushar Deshpande, who was highly expensive. You don’t expect MS Dhoni making such mistakes often, but that’s where you could use the risk-and-reward approach of using an off-spinner when right-handers are batting,” he said.

As Moeen Ali was not given the ball, Deshpande was hit for 51 runs in four overs and only managed to take the wicket of Shubman Gill. Manoj Tiwary, another seasoned Indian batter who participated in the discussion, acknowledged that he was surprised by Dhoni’s decision to give Deshpande the new ball. Citing domestic cricket, he noted that he typically bowls in the latter stages and suggested that the young Rajvardhan Hangargekar should have been used instead.

“I was surprised when they gave the impact substitute Tushar Deshpande the new ball. In domestic cricket, he often bowls in the latter phases of the game. I thought maybe they could have given Rajvardhan Hangargekar the new ball,” he added.

It will be a homecoming for Chennai in their next ITL 2023 match, as they take on Lucknow at Chepuak on April 3. Chennai will be looking to improve from their first game when Gujarat comprehensively outplayed them in all departments of the game.