'Don't be jealous of IPL' - When MS Dhoni silenced the British reporters for questioning his players

MS Dhoni is not a man who expresses through a lot of words. However, there are certain times when the former Indian captain has said some things which have blown out in the media. One such incident happened back in 2014 when the captain gave it back to the British media.

The incident folded out during England tour of 2014. The Indian team was not performing well during the Test series. It was a trend during Dhoni’s later years of captaincy. The team would perform well in the ODIs and T20Is but the Jharkhand man failed to replicate the success in the longest format.

During his tenure, India lost Test series in England in 2011 and 2014 and in Australia in 2011-12 and 2014-15. The team had also lost their Test series in New Zealand in early 2014 and in South Africa in 2013-14.

MS Dhoni pointed out the jealousy factor of English cricket

After the failure of the Indian batsmen to score runs in England, the then Indian captain was asked a question from the British media. They questioned the technical aspects of the Indian batsmen. One of the journalists asked the Indian captain if the batsmen of his team would give up their IPL contracts in order to correct their techniques, by participating in the English County Cricket.

To this, MS Dhoni gave a very fitting reply. He pointed out the jealousy factor of the English cricket circuit regarding the success of the cash-rich T20 league. “Ask the BCCI about it. And don’t get jealous of IPL,” Dhoni had said back then.

The Indian team has started their tour on a good note. They drew the match in Nottingham and then went on to achieve a famous win at Lord’s Cricket Ground. However, the team couldn’t continue its track record. They lost the next three Tests badly.

After the fifth and the final Test, Dhoni was asked this question. India went on to turn their fortunes in the ODI series by winning it 3-1. India had also won the ICC Champions Trophy a year ago in England by beating the home team in the final.

The English cricket stayed away from the IPL during its initial years. It was only after 2015, when Andrew Strauss became the director of cricket in England, that some players were being allowed to play in the cash-rich league. In recent times, the majority of the top English players have played in the IPL.