Picture Credit: Twitter/IPL
Former India opener Gautam Gambhir does not shy away from expressing his opinion on any cricketing issue. While it may sometimes be a good quality to possess, on other occasions he finds himself in a bit of a controversy. On this occasion though, it seems like he has ignited a fresh spark of dispute when he used the phrase "so called finisher." Although he never named MS Dhoni, fans were quick to jump to the conclusion he was talking about the former India captain.
It is a known fact that Gambhir gets irked whenever MS Dhoni alone is credited with the 2011 World Cup win. Gambhir, who was the team's highest individual run-scorer in the 50 Over World Cup final in 2011, even changed his profile picture to a still from the knock he played in that final on Dhoni's birthday this year.
And now he apparently did not take his name but said "so called finisher" during his commentary stint in the Select Dugout for broadcasters' Star Sports during the ongoing IPL. The clip where he uses the phrase has gone viral on the internet with Dhoni fans not at all pleased with his gesture.
"..or a Russell, being called as a finisher. No! Virat Kohli is probably has been the best finisher and the reason...he bats at No.3. So just by giving people this term ‘finisher’, doesn’t make one a finisher," Gambhir is heard saying in the viral video.
"And I am sure, if one looks at the stats and data or whatever you want to call it, if you compare Virat Kohli scoring the last run with someone like the so-called finisher," he adds.
Check out the video here:
Although Gambhir was explaining how the notion of a "finisher" has to change, the fact that he ended his sentence with the phrase, "so called finisher" did not go down too well with MS Dhoni fans. "If you want to hate someone than you should hate him like Gambhir hating Dhoni. This is pro level," wrote one Twitter user.
Meanwhile, Dhoni has already successfully led the Chennai side into the Playoffs this season and are looking like strong contender to win the competition, given the consistency they have shown this year. They succumbed to a rare defeat though on Sunday against Rajasthan Royals after their bowlers failed to defend a total of 189.
Check out how fans reacted to this: