5 Times when MS Dhoni went against umpiring decisions

Over the years, MS Dhoni, the former Indian cricketer, has been known for his calm and collective demeanour on the field. He was given the ‘Captain Cool’ moniker by experts and fans all across the world. 

However, there have been moments where emotions have gotten the better of him. Cricket is a high-intensity sport, and there are often situations where one tends to disagree with the official decisions.

While it is not taken in the spirit of the game, a lot of it happens unintentionally. And MS having played for over 16 years, is no stranger to these scenarios. They have usually come in heated moments when the stakes to win are extremely high. 

Here are five instances where MS Dhoni did not agree with the umpire’s decisions: 

1. IPL 2020 vs SRH

This was the most recent incident of ‘Captain Cool’ losing his calm. Sunrisers Hyderabad were chasing a target of 168 at the Dubai International Stadium in the 29th match of this edition of the Indian Premier League. 

Sunrisers Hyderabad needed 25 runs off 11 deliveries to win the match. Shardul Thakur bowled a ball wide outside the off-stump. Batsman Rashid Khan attempted to play the delivery, but it was clearly outside the wide mark even though it went under Rashid’s bat. 

Umpire Paul Reiffel was about to call it a wide, but Dhoni was visibly disappointed. Reiffel then changed his mind and did not call it a wide. Sunrisers captain David Warner was gesturing angrily from the dugout. Khan and non-striker Nadeem both seemed to be upset with the decision. CSK won the match comfortably by 20 runs. 

2. IPL 2020 vs RR

The first controversial decision involving Dhoni in this edition of the Indian Premier League came in Chennai’s second IPL match against Rajasthan Royals. Chennai Super Kings won the toss and sent in Rajasthan Royals to bat first. Rajasthan seemed to make the most of this opportunity in a relatively smaller Sharjah ground. 

The controversy arose in the 18th over of the innings, when umpire Shamsuddin gave a poor decision. Tom Curran was adjudged caught behind, even though the ball brushed the thigh pad and did not touch the bat. Curran was disappointed as no reviews were left. However, the umpires had a chat and went upstairs at their own discretion. 

Dhoni questioned the umpires as to why they went up when no reviews were left. Umpires do tend to consult the third umpire when they are unsure about a certain decision. MS Dhoni’s wife Sakshi Dhoni also took to social media to express her disappointment regarding this incident.  

3. IPL 2019 vs RR

We had surprisingly seen Dhoni express his anger in IPL 2019. This issue arose in Chennai’s match against Rajasthan at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur. Chennai needed 18 runs off the last over of the match to win the game. 

After Stokes dismissed Dhoni, the equation came down to 8 runs off the final 3 balls. Stokes bowled a full toss to Mitchell Santner which the on-field leg umpire Bruce Oxenford did not call a no-ball. Dhoni then stormed on to the field and had a heated discussion with the umpires. 

Oxenford stood firm on his decision, and did not change it even after Jadeja, Santner, and Dhoni- all tried to argue with him. On looking at the replays, the umpires’ decision seemed the correct one. Chennai Super Kings ended up winning the match. MS apologized to the umpires immediately after the match.

4. 2015 Indore ODI vs SA

This match was a part of the 4th ODI in South Africa’s tour of India. South Africa were 2-1 up in the series. This meant that this match was a do-or-die game for the Men in Blue. 

Umpire Vineet Kulkarni gave Farhaan Behardien caught behind even though the ball didn’t touch the bat. Dhoni appealed for it but bowler Harbhajan Singh didn’t appeal much. A day before the match, the Indian team made a complaint about Kulkarni for poor umpiring.

A lot of people called it ‘sweet revenge’, as Kulkarni had given a poor decision in the Dharamsala Twenty20 match. He had failed to give JP Duminy out LBW when the ball was hitting the middle stump. That decision allowed South Africa to win a high-scoring thriller. Here, umpire Kulkarni’s decision helped India immensely and they clinched a low-scoring thriller.

5.  2013 Mohali ODI vs AUS

This relatively lesser-known incident occurred in Australia’s limited-overs tour of India. This was the third ODI of this clash between two top tier teams. Both India and Australia had won a game each, and this game was extremely important for both the sides.

Umpire Shamsuddin, standing in his first ODI, first called a wide in the final ball of the 41st over bowled by Ravi Ashwin. Adam Voges was on strike, and after looking at MS Dhoni’s disappointment, he decided to change the decision. 

It was a horrendous decision, as Voges was looking to reverse-sweep the ball. In the process of that shot, the ball should have been considered wide. The inexperience of Shamsuddin probably led to him making the wrong call in a tense situation. Australia ended up clinching the game by 4 wickets.