‘Not like Dhoni hasn’t given India match-winners’: Aakash Chopra disagrees with Gautam Gambhir

Chopra did not second Gambhir’s thoughts, saying Dhoni’s task of taking the team forward post the Ganguly era and managing to achieve the heights it did was indeed tough and one full of challenges.

Aakash Chopra disagrees with his former Delhi teammate Gautam Gambhir that India did not produce enough match-winners under the captaincy of MS Dhoni. Gambhir, with whom Dhoni shared a match-winning partnership in the final of the 2011 World Cup had stated that under Dhoni, India did not generate world-beaters, unlike Sourav Ganguly’s era of captaincy, during which the likes of Virender Sehwag, Harbhajan Singh and Yuvraj Singh emerged.

MS Dhoni has helped groom Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah among others. (Getty Images)

Chopra however, did not second Gambhir’s thoughts, explaining Dhoni’s task of taking the team forward post the Ganguly era and managing to achieve the heights it did was indeed tough and one full of challenges.

“MS Dhoni’s biggest challenge was the transition from an established team which had so many legends, but were on their way down from their lofty heights. You need to blood the youngsters but how do you do that without ignoring or offending a senior,” Chopra said on his YouTube channel. “In my opinion, Dhoni’s task was very difficult and a person like Dhoni was only required there, who could manage the team tactically with care and also manage the transition.”

The Indian audience did not exactly warm up to Gambhir’s comments, considering Dhoni is the only captain to win all three major ICC tournaments. Under him, India won two World Cups – in 2007 and 2011, the Champions Trophy in 2013 and reached the pinnacle of the ICC Test rankings for the first time in 2009. Chopra weighed in further saying that under Dhoni, three of India’s current top players made their debuts and had it not been for the support of the former India captain, they wouldn’t have enjoyed the same success.

“Players who came under him include Virat Kohli himself, who could have been dropped after the England tour if it was some other captain but Dhoni stood with him. Rohit Sharma got to those heights under Dhoni. Jasprit Bumrah also came when MS Dhoni was about to give up ODI captaincy and he got settled before Dhoni left,” Chopra said.

“The list is quite long and exhaustive. It is not like Dhoni has not prepared a team or not given match-winners. According to me, it is a wrong comparison and it is a slightly incorrect outcome as well. I personally don’t agree with the opinion, I feel the team that Kohli got was assembled with great love by MS Dhoni.”