On Sunday (June 11), former cricketer turned AAP Rajya Sabha MP, Harbhajan Singh, courted controversy for taking potshots at ex-Indian captain MS Dhoni and his achievements.
The development came hours after India lost to Australia in the World Test Championship (WTC) final. A fan of MS Dhoni (@ItzShreyas07) took to Twitter to point out how the former Indian captain ensured victory for the team in the 2007 World Cup.
While posting a picture of MS Dhoni, he wrote, “…This guy defeated prime Australia in semifinals and won a T20 World Cup in 48 days after becoming captain.” Harbhajan Singh, who was not even tagged in tweet, chose to reprimand the Dhoni fan for giving ‘all the credit’ to the former Indian skipper.
In a tweet, he wrote, “Yes when these matches were played this young boy was playing alone from India…not the other 10…so alone he won the World Cup trophies…irony when Australia or any other nation win the World Cup headlines says Australia or etc country won.”
“But when Indian wins it’s said the captain won 😂 it’s a team sport. Win together, lose together,” Harbhajan Singh claimed. The archive of the tweet can be accessed here.
Soon after, social media users slammed the ace spinner for publicly berating his ex-teammate and skipper MS Dhoni. Some accused Singh of excessive intoxication while others lambasted him for displaying his jealousy.
“Today, my brother had two extra pegs of alcohol. Tomorrow, he will regret this tweet. He let out his inner thoughts in an intoxicated state of mind. Now, the entire country is abusing him,” wrote popular user Madhur Singh.
Another user pointed out, “He (MS Dhoni) never shamelessly slapped someone on the ground after losing. After his departure, those 10 players have yet to win an ICC trophy. Despite having friends like you, he was cool enough to lead India to numerous victories.”
One Braj Raj Singh remarked, “Know you have become a politician…Played your cricket under him and (is) so jealous…Shame on you.”
“Another reason to admire @msdhoni is that he survived around such ppl. Proud of you Thalaivaa,” wrote another user.
Another user emphasised that MS Dhoni was critical to the victory of India during crucial ICC tournaments.
“Harbhajan, he made sure India don’t lose the final. He use to take responsibility for losing, unlike today who say: We don’t care about outside noise. Players want to win more than any other. It’s just another game. (Instagram stories simultaneously for no reason) – cmon, accept, MSD alone won the cup with his brave decisions. Don’t be jealous now,” he added.
“Crying over a fan hyping his idol?? Thats a new low level for players…CurrentIndiann team speaking in Insta stories and old team responding to fans,” tweeted another MS Dhoni fan.
“That MSD won with such bitter players around him makes his success as captain even bigger,” tweeted one Dr Devashish Palkar.
Harbhajan Singh has been the controversy’s favourite child for quite some time. In June 2021, he shared a story on Instagram which hailed Bhindranwale as a martyr.
It read, “Live with pride, die for the religion.” He paid tribute to the terrorists on the 37th anniversary of Operation Blue Star. It featured Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale at the centre wearing a blue turban. Singh later deleted the post and issued an apology.