If MS was not captain, he could have batted at No.3 and could have broken several ODI records: Gambhir on MS Dhoni’s ODI career

Gautam Gambhir is known for his fearless statements on topics related to cricket. He has voiced his opinions on things cricketers avoid talking about. From criticizing Virat to defending him when it matters Gambhir has never backed off from stating facts.

In another instance of note during the Asia Cup, the left-hander has expressed his views on MS Dhoni’s ODI career. The former Indian cricketer said that Dhoni would have been a permanent number three batter for India in ODI cricket and could have broken various records had he not been the captain.

Gambhir Speaks

In the words of Gautam Gambhir “Because of captaincy, he couldn’t achieve what he could have achieved as a batter. A lot of times as captain you have to keep the team first. If MS was not captain, he could have batted at No 3. I am sure he could have broken several ODI records. He has won a lot of trophies, but individually he sacrificed his international runs for trophies,” Gambhir opined while on air during the Asia Cup final on Star Sports. 

Gambhir further applauded Dhoni’s unconventional wicket-keeping style which changed the way people looked at the thankless skill. “Earlier, they were keepers first and batters later, but MS was a batter first and then was a wicketkeeper. It was a blessing for Indian cricket that in MS Dhoni, we got a wicketkeeper-batter who can win you matches from No 7 because he had that power game,” Gambhir concluded. 

The Records

MS Dhoni is the only Indian captain to win all limited overs ICC Trophies having won the T20 World Cup in 2007 in South Africa the 50 Over World Cup in 2011 in front of the home crowd in India and the Champions Trophy in 2013 in England. He came into the limelight when former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly Promoted him in the batting order to bat at number three in the 2005 series against Pakistan where he played a magnificent innings of 148 runs