Mahendra Singh Dhoni is one of those rare breeds in the cricket realm who has a calm demeanor on and off the field. Time and again, his composed presence even during intense clashes has been crucial in dictating a contest in his team’s favour. However, there are rare instances when even Captain Cool lost his calm, and let us deep dive into the top five such moments.

Dhoni’s Outrage on the umpires vs RR

During one of Chennai Super Kings’ encounters against the Rajasthan Royals, the bowling end’s umpire, Ulhas Ghande raised his arm to signal a no-ball for elevation that was overruled by square leg umpire Bruce Oxenford. As per the rules, it was the duty of the square leg umpire to signal a wide or no-ball. But seeing Gandhe make a mess out of the decision, costing a denial in the free-hit during a crucial stage of the game, Dhoni stormed into the field and was vividly seen arguing with the officials. 

Dhoni’s actions prompted the umpires to draw the Rajasthan players in the middle of the conversation. Even Ben Stokes of the Royals tried to stop Dhoni, who was seething over the bizarre call. However, seeing a cricketer gush onto the pitch from the dugout over a controversial call was something rare in cricket.

Dhoni’s heated exchange with Mitchell Johnson

During an ODI between India and Australia in 2009, MS Dhoni pushed a length delivery from Mitchell Johnson towards long off and scampered for a single at the start of the 28th over. However, Johnson tried to hurry behind the stumps to welcome a throw from the deep but was struck by Dhoni outta nowhere. The wicketkeeper-batter hurried for the run, and the bowler came in his way, resulting in a collision that didn’t quite go well with Johnson. Although known for his calm demeanour, Dhoni didn’t hold back, responding with a wild stare at the Aussie quick. 

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Dhoni reprimanded Shami

During India’s tour to New Zealand in 2014, the Men in Blue were blown away by Brendon McCullum’s triple hundred in Wellington. In that match, Shami was seen bowling a sharp bumper at the end of a session, which didn’t go well for captain Dhoni. 

While leaving the field, the wicketkeeper-batter happened to rebuke the Bengal pacer on bowling that bouncer and following it up with a lie. Shami expressed that the ball slipped off his hands. But the Jharkhand-bred star replied in a strict tone that he has seen enough cricketers in his cricket career, and Shami should not try to fool him.

“Dekh beta, bohot log aaye mere saamne. Bohot log khel ke chale gaye jhut mat bol. Bete tumhare senior hain tumhare captain hain hum. Ye bewakoof kisi aur ko banana.” Shami expressed during an Instagram live with Manoj Tiwari during the COVID-19 pandemic era. 

Dhoni’s abuse at Manish Pandey

One of the famous incidents of Dhoni losing his calm was during the second T20I against South Africa in 2018. While both batters were well set in the crease, trying to put the opposition on the back foot, Dhoni’s abuse of Pandey was one of the breakout moments that surfaced on social media. 

During the second half  of  India’s innings, Pandey rotated the strike and was looking elsewhere when Dhoni yelled, ‘Oye!.’ He tried to call the Karnataka-based batter for the second time, citing “B*dk idhar dekhle, udhar dekh raha hain, thoda bata, bowler kidhar daal raha hain kidhar nahi daal raha hain?” (Look here, give me insights on where the bowler is bowling.)

While it may sound like a very normal conversation, Dhoni was vividly angry during his statement, sparking a social media frenzy.

Raging on Moeen Ali

One of the recent incidents that involved an angry Dhoni was a match between CSK and RCB in 2023. During the dying moments of the contest, Moeen Ali failed an opportunity to run out Suyash Prabhudessai, who was sprinting at the danger end. The two RCB batters were involved in a miscommunication and were seen stranded at the bowler’s end simultaneously. This is when Moeen’s erratic throw cost CSK the runout. Right after, Dhoni was fuming in anger and shared a word or two with the English all-rounder.

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When umpire Daryl Harper provoked Dhoni

During India's tour to the West Indies in 2011, Praveen Kumar was banned by umpire Daryl Harper after repeatedly stepping into the danger zone of the pitch. This led to the umpire banning the pacer, who was making his Test debut in Jamaica. This didn't go well with the then-captain Dhoni, who went up to the umpire and suggested he be a little 'lenient' with the debutant. Post-match, Dhoni expressed that the match could've been over early if not for Harper's interventions. As a result, the umpire demanded a sanction for Dhoni, which didn't happen as the series progressed. 

“If the correct decisions were made, the game would have finished much earlier, and I would have been in the hotel by now,” Dhoni said during the post-match press conference.