Gautam Gambhir, Irfan Pathan's anecdotes confirm MS Dhoni is not always 'Captain Cool'

Former Indian captain MS Dhoni is nicknamed ‘Captain Cool’ for his calm composure on the field. While the cricketer is no longer the Indian captain, he continues to lead Chennai Super Kings (CSK) with the same apparent intent in the Indian Premier League (IPL). However, according to his former teammates Gautam Gambhir and Irfan Pathan, MS Dhoni has lost his cool on occasion as they recalled a few instances they witnessed when they were up close with the cricketer.

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Gautam Gambhir, Irfan Pathan reveal altar ego of MS Dhoni

In an appearance on Star Sports’ Cricket Connected, both Gautam Gambhir and Irfan Pathan candidly recollected some memories of their time with MS Dhoni in the Indian team. Irfan Pathan revealed an incident when the veteran wicketkeeper-batsman got angry in the dressing room. The Baroda-based all-rounder recalled a warm-up match from the 2006-07 season, where MS Dhoni believed that he was wrongly given out. Upon being given out, he threw his bat and made a “dash” in the dressing room and also arrived late for the practice session.

Gautam Gambhir also recalled some experiences with MS Dhoni where the latter lost his cool on the field. The former opening batsman said that the Dhoni got angry during the 2007 World Cup where the Indian team failed to qualify for the second round. He also cited the example of MS Dhoni getting angry upon any misfields or dropped catches in IPL matches. However, Gautam Gambhir added that the cricketer is still 'human', who is bound to react on certain occasions. The stylish left-hander still credits MS Dhoni for being 'cooler than other captains', including himself.

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Gautam Gambhir and Irfan Pathan with MS Dhoni

Both Gautam Gambhir and Irfan Pathan were integral members of India’s 2007 World Twenty20 winning side, which was also MS Dhoni’s first assignment as captain. Gambhir was also a prominent figure of India’s successful 2011 World Cup campaign where he stitched a match-winning partnership with MS Dhoni in the final.

MS Dhoni in IPL 2020 and T20 World Cup 2020

MS Dhoni last represented India during the 2019 World Cup in England. Ever since India’s exit from the semi-final, the cricketer has been on a sabbatical break from international cricket. While he was expected to make a return to professional cricket in IPL 2020, the tournament got indefinitely postponed in wake of the ongoing coronavirus crisis.

According to many cricket experts including Team India Head Coach Ravi Shastri, Dhoni’s performance for CSK in IPL 2020 was expected to be closely looked upon for his chances to contest the T20 World Cup in Australia later this year. However, the T20 World Cup, scheduled for October and November, is also clouded with much uncertainty at the moment.

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