“Dhoni never used PR”- Journalist counterattacks Gautam Gambhir for his claim on MS Dhoni

Mahendra Singh Dhoni is an established name in the world of cricket. The former India captain has retired from international cricket but still leads the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the Indian Premier League (IPL). MS Dhoni recently led CSK to their fifth IPL title as Chennai beat Gujarat in the IPL 2023 Final. The CSK captain was hailed for his ability to win titles even with average cricketers. 

This was not the first time Dhoni has been credited for a title won by his team. The former India captain gets credit for India’s 2007 T20 World Cup win, 2011 ODI World Cup win and the 2013 Champions Trophy win. Experts as well as the fans feel Dhoni was the main architect of these wins. 

However, the former India opener Gautam Gambhir who was a part of two out of the three title-winning teams has claimed time and again that Dhoni was unnecessarily portrayed as the hero by the former captain’s PR machinery (the media and the fans). Even Harbhajan Singh took a dig at Dhoni by replying to a fan’s tweet on India’s 2007 T20 WC win. 

Journalist rubbishes Gautam Gambhir’s claims

These claims from Gautam Gambhir about MS Dhoni’s PR machinery working behind the scenes to portray him as the only hero for India’s title wins have received a big reality check. A prominent journalist has contradicted all these claims saying Dhoni never used PR. In fact, he never tried to take all the credit, or plant stories in the media, and the media personnel often complained about Dhoni being inclusive. 

“Gautam Gambhir’s perception of Dhoni is not at all true, it’s my opinion. Dhoni never used PR and if he did, I would have been the first one. He never talks cricket to anyone. I can bet that Dhoni never talked to any reporter about cricket (when he met them off the field). He was the type of captain who would never leak any story. No reporter can claim that he/she was close to Dhoni,” claimed Vimal Kumar, a prominent sports journalist.