Gautam Gambhir has previous relationships with several Indian cricketers besides Virat Kohli. The list also includes MS Dhoni. The 2011 World Cup final and their IPL battles, particularly when they were set against each other as rival captains, are just two instances over the years where Gambhir and India’s most successful skipper have traded jabs.
The IPL 2012 final is still a perfect example. The two also clashed when CSK received a two-year suspension and Dhoni led the Rising Pune Supergiant for a while. The battle between Gambhir and Dhoni was fierce, with each player attempting to outwit the other strategically.
Irfan Pathan, a former India all-rounder, related an intriguing occurrence on Wednesday during Chennai Super Kings IPL 2023 match against Lucknow Super Giants, which included Gambhir and Dhoni facing off again, albeit in a different capacity. Beyond being a great finisher, Dhoni’s greatest strength is that he has consistently maintained a steady and composed demeanor; however, Pathan’s thoughts drifted to the time when Gambhir’s strategies got inside Dhoni’s head.
The incident Pathan is referring to occurred during the two years when Gambhir drew up a close-in field similar to a Test match and whenever Dhoni stepped out to bat and used one of his top spinners, either Sunil Narine or Piyush Chawla, to operate. To Gambhir’s credit, the plan largely succeeded each time, with Dhoni succumbing to a cheap spin.
Irfan Pathan said
“Gautam Gambhir played with the ego of MS Dhoni when he was the captain of KKR. He was the only one who succeeded in rattling him for years,” Pathan, who was teammates with Dhoni at Pune, said while doing commentary on Hindi. Referring to Gambhir’s strategy, he added: “MS was rattled to the core by the field setting”
In a 2016 game between KKR and RPS, Dhoni entered the batting order with his team behind at 74/4 and Chawla in excellent form. Gambhir capitalized on the chance and surrounded Dhoni with fielders. He placed Suryakumar Yadav, Yusuf Pathan, and Shakib Al Hasan in close positions, denying Dhoni any breathing room. Gambhir was aware that Dhoni had gotten a little more vulnerable to spin as the years went by. Dhoni appeared to be highly susceptible when attempting to protect or block.
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