Considered by many to be the greatest captain in Indian cricket history, MS Dhoni turned 43 on Sunday (July 7). The veteran wicketkeeper-batter has been on the receiving end of birthday wishes throughout the day and even India legend Gautam Gambhir surprisingly joined the bandwagon.
In the past, Gambhir has criticised the hero-worship of cricketers in India. In an interaction with Indian Express, he stated that the victory in 1983 World Cup was made all about Kapil Dev, who was the skipper, and same followed in the 2007 T20 World Cup and 2011 ODI World Cup victories, taking an indirect dig at Dhoni.
Also Read | Shubman Gill takes full blame for India failing to chase 116 in shocking batting display against Zimbabwe
In an interaction with News18, he also said that the reason why India won the 2007 and 2011 World Cups was due to Yuvraj Singh's all-round brilliance, but opined that the credit goes to only one individual due to his PR team.
So fans were surprised when they saw Gambhir wish Dhoni on his birthday. In a video shared by Star Sports on X, Gambhir said, "Lots of captains will come and go but it will be hard to match MS Dhoni's record for the Indian team. You can become number 1 in Tests, you can win overseas matches. But to lift two ICC World Cups and one Champions Trophy, there is no bigger achievement than this."
{{/usCountry}}So fans were surprised when they saw Gambhir wish Dhoni on his birthday. In a video shared by Star Sports on X, Gambhir said, "Lots of captains will come and go but it will be hard to match MS Dhoni's record for the Indian team. You can become number 1 in Tests, you can win overseas matches. But to lift two ICC World Cups and one Champions Trophy, there is no bigger achievement than this."
{{/usCountry}}"We shared the biggest moments together, I was part of those moments. Whether being a part of the T20 World Cup, ODI World Cup, winning the CB series in Australia, winning Test series in New Zealand, drawing Test series in South Africa, winning the Asia Cup, I can't mention one. He's probably the best captain India has ever had," he added.
Dhoni was most recently part of CSK's IPL 2024 campaign, and there was plenty of drama as he handed over the captaincy to Ruturaj Gaikwad prior to the season opener. Dhoni hasn't announced his retirement yet and fans expect him to participate next season too!