It is public knowledge that the umpiring has been mediocre in this season of Indian Premier League (IPL). The controversies over no-balls given/not given have piled on since the Lasith Malinga last-ball overstepping. But things took an expected turn when MS Dhoni came storming into the ground and confront the umpire over a clear no ball.
Even though there is no denying that the umpire was at fault in this episode, Dhoni’s move violated the code of conduct and spirit of cricket. Few former cricketers including Michael Vaughan, Aakash Chopra criticised Dhoni’s outburst. It was one of those rarest moments when the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) skipper lost his cool.
When MS Dhoni lost his cool
Boss….. pic.twitter.com/v4wJ7r98pf— Shakti Solanki (@shaktisolanki00) April 12, 2019
Later, he was charged 50 per cent of his match fee under level 2 code of conduct breach under article 2.2. Many felt that the 37-year-old got away easily after committing a serious offence. However, Sourav Ganguly has a different take on the matter as he said in the post-match press conference yesterday, “Everyone is human. What stands out is his competitiveness. It’s remarkable.”
It is safe to say Dhoni and Ganguly are completely different captains. Whereas Dhoni is mostly a cool-headed skipper strategising with a poker face, Ganguly never minced words, earning the aggressive captain tag.
His take on the episode suggests that this was a one-off event and people should stop stressing over it as Dhoni is a fierce competitor. The testimony to his fierceness and grit was his half-century to snatch win from jaws of defeat. If umpires can err, Dhoni can too.
For the record: we would have loved to watch Ganguly’s reaction had he been in Dhoni’s position.
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