'Did not expect him making such mistakes' - Former India batter's brutal take on MS Dhoni's captaincy in ITL opener against Gujarat

Chennai lost by five wickets to the reigning champion Gujarat in their Indian T20 League (ITL) season opener on Friday in Ahmedabad, continuing their terrible streak. They suffered their fourth straight ITL defeat, three of which occurred during their forgettable 2022 campaign. After the match, veteran India cricketer Virender Sehwag attacked MS Dhoni for his poor captaincy, saying he was startled by his errors.

In an interview with Cricbuzz, Sehwag expressed his disappointment in using Tushar Deshpande, who was substituted for Ambati Rayudu as an impact player. The batting icon believed that Dhoni should have given one over to Moeen Ali in the middle phase because the pacer was getting hit for runs.

Manoj Tiwary joined Virender Sehwag in Dhoni's criticism

"Had Dhoni used an over from Moeen Ali somewhere in the middle, he may not have needed to go to Tushar Deshpande, who was highly expensive. You don't expect MS Dhoni making such mistakes often, but that's where you could use the risk-and-reward approach of using an off-spinner when right-handers are batting," he said.

As Moeen Ali was not given the ball, Deshpande was destroyed for 51 runs in four overs and only managed to claim the wicket of Shubman Gill. Manoj Tiwary, a seasoned Indian batsman who participated in the discussion, acknowledged that he was surprised by Dhoni's decision to give Deshpande the new ball. Citing domestic cricket, he noted that fast bowlers are typically utilised in the latter stages of the game and suggested that the young Rajvardhan Hangargekar should have been used in the powerplay.

"I was surprised when they gave the impact substitute Tushar Deshpande the new ball. In domestic cricket, he often bowls in the latter phases of the game. I thought maybe they could have given Rajvardhan Hangargekar the new ball," he added.

It will be a homecoming for Chennai in their next ITL 2023 match, as they will face Lucknow at Chepuak on April 3.