MS Dhoni had a long stint as Team India’s captain and he led the team for nearly a decade. Dhoni, who kicked off his captaincy career in the 2007 T20 World Cup, led India in white-ball cricket from 2007 to 2016. He captained the Team squad from 2008 to 2014. Dhoni-led India won the 2007 T20 and 2011 ODI World Cups.
In 2013, they won the Champions Trophy. A captain has to make tough decisions sometimes and even drop senior players.
, one of the players to be dropped during Dhoni’s captaincy, has revealed that the captain kept him out of the playing XI. Speaking to Lallantop, Pathan revealed that he also asked former India head coach, Gary Kirsten, about it.
“Kirsten gave me two reasons. He said, ‘There are things that are not in my hand.’ Those were Gary’s exact words. I asked whose hands it was in, but he didn’t tell me. I already knew whose hands it was in. The playing XI is decided by the captain’s choice. The decision rests with the captain, coach, and management. Dhoni was the captain at that time. I won’t get into whether that decision was right or wrong, because every captain has the right to run the team in his own way,” Pathan said.
Irfan Pathan did not make 2011 World Cup squad
Pathan, who delivered a player of the final performance in the 2007 T20 World Cup final, didn’t make it to India’s 2011 World Cup squad. After playing an ODI in February 2009, he played his next 50-over game in December 2011. Pathan’s last ODI appearance came against Sri Lanka in August 2012.
Pathan played his last game for the Men in Blue in the 2012 T20 World Cup. He was part of the 2013 Champions Trophy-winning team but didn’t feature in the playing XI. Pathan played 29 Tests, 120 ODIs and 24 T20Is from 2003 to 2012.