Real recognizes real. And so did Captain Cool MS Dhoni himself, who showered praise on the current Indian cricket team after their triumph at the 2024 T20 World Cup in Barbados on Saturday, where they defeated South Africa to claim their first ICC trophy since 2013. India has finally clinched a T20 World Cup trophy after their initial success in the inaugural edition of the tournament all the way back in 2007, under the leadership of one man: MS Dhoni
MS Dhoni had been the last Indian skipper to lead the team to international success, claiming both the T20 and ODI World Cups for India in 2007 and 2011 respectively. And it was finally Rohit Sharma who brought glory back to India, prompting the retired legend to share his excitement and pride for witnessing the same.
MS Dhoni recalls painful 2019 ODI World Cup semi-final loss
Attending a promotional event while the Indian team tours Sri Lanka under Gautam Gambhir’s leadership, Dhoni was asked to name his favorite player from the current squad.
Former Indian captain MS Dhoni reflected on the side’s painful defeat in the 2019 ODI World Cup semi-final against New Zealand, calling it a heartbreaking moment. The now-43-year-old was at the thick of the action towards the climax of the outing, with his run-out effectively being the decider.
With 25 needed off 10 deliveries to win, Dhoni attempted a tacky second run only to be dismissed off a direct hit by Martin Guptill. His run-out meant India endured a tough 18-run defeat to bow out of the tournament. The contest also became Dhoni’s final international outing, with the legendary keeper-batter announcing his retirement a year later. In a video floating around, Dhoni opened up on the infamous 2019 semi-final during an event and said:
“It was a difficult one because I knew that this will be my last World Cup, so it would have been good to be on the winning side. It was heartbreak moment, so we accepted the result and we tried to move on. It takes time and one gets some time after the World Cup. I hadn’t played any international cricket after that so I got a lot of time.”
“So, yes, it was a heartbreak but at the same time you have to get out of it. So you just accept that you tried your best, but you were not able to win it,” he added.
MS Dhoni scored a defiant 72-ball 50 before being run out after entering the crease with India reeling at 71/5. He finished his international career with over 17,000 runs across formats, including 16 centuries and 106 half-centuries in 538 outings.
MS Dhoni showers praises on Jasprit Bumrah
In a surprising yet thoughtful revelation, former Indian cricket captain MS Dhoni has named Jasprit Bumrah as his current favorite cricketer, bypassing the usual suspects—Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. This choice comes amidst a growing debate among fans and pundits over who reigns supreme in Indian cricket. Dhoni’s endorsement of Bumrah underscores the fast bowler’s pivotal role in Team India’s recent successes.
In the same event, Dhoni picked ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah as his current favorite bowler but couldn’t do the same among batters. Bumrah recently helped India win the 2024 T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the USA with a Player of the Tournament performance.
“Current favorite, it’s easy to pick a bowler since Bumrah is there. It’s difficult to pick a batter because we have several good batters but that doesn’t mean bowlers aren’t good. It’s difficult pick one among batters as whomever I see batting, he looks the best but then I see someone else he also looks great. As long as team India are doing fine, I don’t want to pick a batter but I hope they will keep scoring runs. However, I have picked my favorite bowler,” said Dhoni.
Bumrah made his India debut under Dhoni’s captaincy in Australia in 2016 and has since become India’s bowling spearhead. The 30-year-old has picked up almost 400 wickets across formats, including 12 five-wicket hauls in 195 games.