Whenever Gautam Gambhir and MS Dhoni are spoken about in a sentence, the pertinent question about the alleged bad blood between them comes to the surface as far as the cricket fans are concerned. The much heralded six from MS Dhoni to finish off the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 final, is looked upon as a matter of contention, with respect to the match-defining 97 from Gautam Gambhir getting sidelined from the aforementioned narrative.
But amidst all the rumours and speculation, both these Indian cricketing legends reportedly have respect for each other, on and off the cricket field. The statements from Gautam Gambhir for MS Dhoni seem to indicate that, in the last few years.
Just a couple of days ago, Gautam Gambhir stated that Rohit Sharma, the current captain of Team India, became one of the top batters in ODIs after MS Dhoni decided to push him up the top of the order in 2013 when he had a massive slump in form. With that, SportsTiger looks back at three times Gautam Gambhir complimented MS Dhoni in this feature article.
Dhoni’s decision to join the army is a fantastic move
After India were knocked out of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 semi-final by New Zealand in Manchester in July, MS Dhoni took a long break from international cricket. Then, later in the same month, the Indian Army made an announcement that the former India captain was going to join 106 Territorial Army Battalion (Para) to stay there from July 31 to August 15.
Gautam Gambhir went on to compliment his former teammate for the decision to join the Indian Army and said, “Dhoni’s decision to join the army is a fantastic move. I have said many a time that Dhoni needs to spend time with the Indian Army if he really wishes to wear the uniform and now by deciding to really serve the army he has proved his dedication. This move from Dhoni will motivate thousands of youngsters to join the Indian Army,” he added.
#PAGE_BREAK#
I don’t think any captain would be able to achieve three ICC trophies (like Dhoni)
When India bowed out of the T20 World Cup 2022 with a 10-wicket loss in the semi-final against England in Adelaide, Gautam Gambhir slammed the team before making a massive statement about what the future holds for the Indian captains vying to win ICC trophies. He stated that many batting records for India might get broken in due course, but at the same time, no Team India captain will be able to secure three ICC trophies just like MS Dhoni, during their leadership tenure.
The 41-year-old was quoted as saying, “Someone will come and probably score more double 100s than Rohit Sharma and more 100s than Virat Kohli, but I don’t think any Indian captain would be able to achieve three ICC trophies (like Dhoni).”
#PAGE_BREAK#
If Dhoni is ever in need, I will be the first person standing next to him
In 2022, during an episode of the Over & Out show of Jatin Sapru, one of the most well-known sports presenters in India, Gautam Gambhir was quick to rubbish the rumours and speculation about a rift between him and MS Dhoni. The 41-year-old talked about how he has lots of mutual respect for his ODI World Cup-winning teammate, and he will be standing next to him if he ever needs anything.
He said, “I have lots of mutual respect for MS Dhoni. I have said it on air, I can say it anywhere in front of 138 crore people, if ever in need, I hope he’s never in need in life but if he is ever in need, I will be the first person standing next to him because of what he has done for Indian cricket and what he is as a human being.”
