Why MS Dhoni was wrong in arguing with umpires: CSK captain’s act of re-entering the ground was unpleasant in every respect.
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Nearly 200 cricketers are involved in the opulent Indian Premier League. Out of all those players, Chennai Super Kings captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni literally “crossing the boundary” to re-enter the field of play was all of disturbing, distressing and disagreeable.
For a cricketer who had been a perpetual paragon of conduct till last night, watching him arguing with the umpires came as unequivocally the most ugliest sight in his 15-year old career. For a moment, the age-old saying of reputation can be destroyed in moments was sounding as gospel.
“We are playing at the IPL level and not playing club cricket. The umpires should have had their eyes open. That is a ridiculous call at the last ball. If it is a game of margins, I don’t know what is happening.
“They should have been more sharp and careful out there,” Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Virat Kohli was quoted as saying after Mumbai Indians fast bowler Lasith Malinga’s no-ball went unnoticed during an IPL 2019 match between RCB and MI.
While an umpiring howler such as that is common at club level, what happened a few hours ago at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur was equivalent to several positions below the club level.
Agreed that the umpiring hasn’t been of the best quality in IPL 2019 and that something similar happened in the match against Rajasthan Royals. Agreed that the particular delivery not being called a no-ball could have affected the result of the match. Agreed that the stakes are skyrocketing in the IPL. But who on Earth walks back on to the ground in a manner like you did, Mr. Dhoni?
Regardless of whether it was a no-ball or not, regardless of what made umpire Ulhas Gandhe call it a no-ball in the first place and regardless of whether he should have revoked his decision or not, Dhoni’s act could have resulted in severe consequences.
Following his actions, Dhoni was fined 50% of his match fees for a Code of Conduct breach. As a moral compensation, the 37-year old cricketer received substantial support from his plentiful fans for standing for what was right irrespective of the manner in which he stood.
“MS [Dhoni] was after some clarity. He took the opportunity to go out and discuss it with the umpires,” Super Kings Head Coach Stephen Fleming said casually in the post-match press conference. Really, Mr. Fleming?
What the legendary cricketer did also gave signs of some people being bigger than the institution. Imagine the reactions of the fielding captain or players had it been someone other than Dhoni. Imagine the furore on the part of the fans had it been someone other than Dhoni. Imagine the penalty being handed had it been someone other than Dhoni. And do you know the saddest of them all? Imagine young captains at junior level emulating Dhoni in the name of “standing for what is right”.
It is worth mentioning that it was Dhoni’s superlative knock which predominantly aided CSK to seal the chase. Kudos to Dhoni for also registering his 100th IPL victory as captain. Not sure about others but as far as I am concerned, such a fine game of cricket will always be remembered for what Dhoni did, something he shouldn’t have done.
