MS Dhoni podcast with Raj Shamani: Legendary player names his dream trio, no Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma mentioned

The cricket community is upset with MS Dhoni's subpar IPL 2025 season performances for the Chennai Super Kings. Despite his harsh criticism, Dhoni managed to make headlines again by surprising fans with his ideal lineup, which conspicuously left out the modern-day greats Virat  Kohli and Rohit Sharma.

During an interview on Raj Shamani's podcast, Dhoni was asked to name players from any era or country that he would love to see play together. To the shock of many, the former Indian captain chose to leave out Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and instead selected Indian cricket legends from the early 2000s.

Former teammates Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, and Sourav Ganguly were also in Dhoni's ideal squad, with Yuvraj Singh receiving special recognition for his famous six-sixes against England. Fans were perplexed by the absence of Kohli, who has been India's reliable performance in every format, particularly given their close bond with Dhoni.

“Yeah, I would stick to my Indian players, man. Viru pa (Virender Sehwag) opening the innings. So Virupa Sachin, Dada. Because, you know, the thing is, imagine everyone at their prime. And the beauty is when you see them playing, you will feel like there’s nobody else like that. But cricket is such as game that keeps on going up and down. So it becomes very difficult how to pick, but growing up we have all seen these players perform,” said Dhoni on the Raj Shamani podcast.

“You know when Yuvi was hitting six sixes, you’d say you don’t want to watch anyone else. So, the thing is, why I should pick anyone? Why can't I just enjoy everyone? You know, they all contributed for India. You know, they all made sure that we win many tournaments wherever we are playing,” he added.

Although Dhoni clarified that these were the athletes he grew up watching and respecting, it is still unclear why Kohli, to whom he previously handed the captaincy baton, was left out. Many people are baffled by Dhoni's choice to ignore Kohli, who has been India's pillar of support for more than ten years, despite their friendship and shared sporting experience.

After the Chennai Super Kings' third straight defeat in the IPL 2025, Dhoni came under intense scrutiny. The defeat came at the hands of Delhi Capitals, who emerged victorious by 25 runs at Chepauk. Despite the loss, Dhoni put up a valiant effort, scoring an unbeaten 30 runs from 26 balls against DC.

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