Ex-India Star Rubbishes Irfan Pathan's Claims On MS Dhoni: "A Successful Captain..."

Former India opener Aakash Chopra has reacted to the favouritism allegations made by Irfan Pathan, while addressing his sudden exit from the Indian team. In an old interview, now viral on social media, Irfan recalled the 2008 tour of Australia when Dhoni reportedly told the media that he was not bowling well. Irfan played his final match under Dhoni's captaincy, bowing out with a five-wicket haul in ODIs. Dhoni has come under the scanner recently, with Yuvraj Singh's father Yograj also blaming him for the earlier-than-expected omission of his son from the team. 

"I asked him. During the 2008 Australia series, Mahi bhai's statement came out in the media that Irfan was not bowling well. I thought I had bowled well throughout the series, so I went and asked Mahi bhai. Sometimes statements are twisted in the media, so I also wanted to clarify. Mahi bhai said, 'No, Irfan, there is nothing like this, everything's going as per plans," Pathan had said during the interview.

Amid the ongoing debate surrounding Dhoni, Chopra made an interesting point and explained that a successful captain cannot be influenced solely on one parameter while selecting players.

"You want to pick your best team. But if you have seen someone more in front of you and playing under pressure, you move towards them, and that is normal. You will see that players from where the coach or captain are would be preferred more. That is not bias, not favoritism. It is just the fact that they have spent more time with them," said Chopra in a YouTube video posted by Crex.

Chopra also suggested that a captain's job is to pick a team that can do the job for him, instead of pleasing individuals.

"Beyond that, what happens in one room, how many people sit, how many don't, I don't think a successful captain worth his salt is going to get influenced by that factor. At the end he has to pick a team that can win and players who can take him to that destination. So there is a lot riding on the captain's shoulders and the stakes are high. I don't think that if someone does not spend more time with the captain, they would be adversely treated or dropped," he added.

Topics mentioned in this article

India Cricket Team MS Dhoni Irfan Pathan Aakash Chopra Cricket