MS Dhoni has been one of the stalwarts of the game and speculation over his retirement were rife after Chennai Super Kings lost out to Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Indian Premier League 2024 playoff qualification race.
The 42-year-old hit a 13-ball 25 but failed to get his team over the line after being dismissed in the final over of the run-chase. Dhoni returned to the pavilion, with four balls to go, and 11 runs needed for CSK to qualify. He was caught by Swapnil Singh at the boundary rope, off Yash Dayal's bowling.
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In what could have been MS Dhoni's final walk towards the pavilion, cricket pundits Michael Vaughan and Harsha Bhogle have stressed that the opposition players should have shaken hands with the former CSK skipper, as a gesture of gratitude towards the veteran.
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What did Harsha Bhogle and Michael Vaughan say about MS Dhoni's dismissal against RCB?
Former England international, Michael Vaughan, and India's esteemed pundit, Harsha Bhogle, have both slammed RCB players for their lack of gratitude towards MS Dhoni.
In the post-match live-show with Cricbuzz, both Bhogle and Vaughan have stressed on the fact that CSK's loss against RCB could have been MS Dhoni's final game of his career. As a matter of respect, the opposition players should have shaken hands with him and bid him farewell.
"It doesn't matter. You win a World Cup Final, you display your emotion, you (still) shake hands with the opposition. It is the great thing about our game. It is symbolic of the fact that the antagonism is over and we did not give an inch to each over. It was just a game, and we shake hands and celebrate later," Bhogle said.
Vaughan believes that the RCB players over-celebrated the wicket of MS Dhoni. It is possible that RCB, who have staged a miraculous comeback to reach the playoffs, were caught up in the moment. Dhoni was out on the next ball after hitting a monstrous 110m-six, and the players realised that the momentum had shifted.
"If there was ever a time for a group of players to show awareness (it was now). We do not know if that was MS Dhoni's last game, and those players run around and did handstands, they had to just go and shake his hands. You shake his hands and then celebrate all you want," former England batter Vaughan said.
The former England skipper also reminded the RCB players of the fact that their win over CSK could have meant that MS Dhoni hangs up his boots from all forms of cricket.
"I would not want to be an RCB player tomorrow morning, thinking that MS Dhoni has announced his retirement, and we did not have his decency to go and shake his hand first," he added.
MORE: Did MS Dhoni's monster six prove to be a blessing in disguise for RCB?
Harsha Bhogle and Vaughan said “ RCB players should have shaken hands with MS Dhoni after his dismissal, because that it might have been his last game ”
— ` (@The4Gautam) May 19, 2024
They also feel that RCB players should not have celebrated his wicket as this might be his last game.#RCBvCSK #ViratKohli pic.twitter.com/vD6yqAerNP
How did MS Dhoni perform in IPL 2024?
| Matches | Innings | Runs | Average | Strike Rate | 50s | High Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | 11 | 161 | 53.66 | 220.54 | 0 | 37* |
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