Twitter slams MS Dhoni for his slow knock against Australia in Vizag T20I

MS Dhoni remained unbeaten till the end but only scored 29 runs off 37 deliveries.

Published - 25 Feb 2019, 14:17 IST | Updated - 25 Feb 2019, 14:17 IST

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India had a disappointing start to their final international assignment before the ICC World Cup as they lost to Australia in a low-scoring yet nail-biting first T20I in Visakhapatnam on Sunday. The hosts saw a collapse after a 50-run partnership between opener KL Rahul and captain Virat Kohli and could not manage more than 126 in their allotted 20 overs after Australian captain Aaron Finch won the toss and asked them to bat.

The Indian bowlers, however, made a match of it but the visitors had the last laugh as they won the match in the final ball. The two pacers – Pat Cummins and Jhye Richardson kept their composure towards the end to guide their team home with the bat.

However, even as India ensured that they would not be able to win the two-match T20I series, one player came under intense criticism once again and it was the veteran MS Dhoni. The 37-year-old had a dry spell with the bat for over a year till he banged back to form against Australia in a three-match ODI series Down Under last month. The former India captain belted three consecutive fifties to help India win the series. But on Sunday, the fans were less pleased with the man.

Dhoni remained unbeaten till end but did not hit enough runs

MS Dhoni came out to bat following the departure of Rishabh Pant who also faced the flak over his run-out and remained unbeaten till the end of the innings. However, he could manage only 29 runs in 37 balls during his stay and his innings featured just one six. Though the wicketkeeper-batsman ensured that India did not fold before 20 overs, his strike rate of 78 did not impress the fans who were also frustrated with his denial of runs to the tail-enders while he himself was struggling to middle the ball.

The Twitterati was vocal against Dhoni saying he was finished and that he shouldn’t be travelling to England for the World Cup.

Here’s how the fans reacted:

@msdhoni @BCCI @imVkohli
History repeats itself… it was time when MS made the big call against @SGanguly99 @VVSLaxman281 for the sake of India Team future…
It's high time, @imVkohli needs to make a call now…before it's too late..
We love @msdhoni but we love to Win too.
— Mohit Parasramka (@iambeingmohit) February 25, 2019

@msdhoni go back.
— Shivaji Raje (@Shivaji_the_gr8) February 25, 2019

@msdhoni declining singles in the 19th and 20th overs when Chahal was at the crease, may have cost India 6 – 8 runs and ultimately the match. Chahal could have taken a single and could have MSD back on strike. #INDvAUS
— Prasad Kulkarni (@PrasadK53009596) February 25, 2019

Dhoni! Please retire or call in sick we don't want you in that flight to England for world cup. Please dont ruin all the good memories of past. #INDvAUS
— Vikash Kumar (@vikashkmr138) February 24, 2019

MS Dhoni is a great batsman who has played many knocks for the winning cause.
Sometimes for India, sometimes for the opposition.
— Pakchikpak Raja Babu (@HaramiParindey) February 24, 2019

@y_umesh ko match harne ka blam karne wale kabhi @msdhoni se kuch kahege kahe ka best finisher hi jo 20-20 me jitni ball kheli uske adhe run bhi nahi bana paya kab tak dhoya jayega dhoni ko jabardasti world cup khilane se koi fayeda nahi wo @sachin_rt nahi hi @imVkohli @BCCI
— NITISH CHATURVEDI (@NITISHCHOVE) February 25, 2019

Does MSD think only he can bat..?..
Doesnt good sight to see that he can't even give strike to #9 and he himself won't score.. not good at all..#Dhoni #INDvAUS
— Akshay Hegde (@AAkshayHegde) February 24, 2019

It's perfect time for @msdhoni to say good bye to t20 cricket ..@DineshKarthik will be very thankful to him 😅😅😅
— Naveen Sharma (@pashaa1999) February 25, 2019

pic.twitter.com/1d4LNF9ioX
— Vinay Sharma (@vsharma2310) February 25, 2019

Two players perform as per expectations these days.
Dhoni will give you dots, Umesh won't.
— Gabbbar (@GabbbarSingh) February 24, 2019

@msdhoni your paddling innings is not your https://t.co/iMDdlguXlq are aged now.but one thing i cant understand,you hav nothing to https://t.co/9uEg3Qu9ti why cant you hit balls like yu used to do in early carreer? Atleast giv a try.
— Safas khaleej (@mohammed_safas) February 25, 2019

MS Dhoni after seeing memes on Umesh Yadav instead of him 😂 #INDvAUS #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/41KpERF3G8
— Amol Kolte (@AmolKol04767683) February 25, 2019

@msdhoni retired from Test matches but not from test match #performance in ODI and T20😂 #LOL 😂 #dhoniagain #INDvAUS #whydontweoutnow
— Vivek Gupta (@vivekgupta_sonu) February 25, 2019