MS Dhoni and his team Chenna Super Kings (CSK) were brutally trolled on social media after they lost to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by ten runs in their sixth game of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL). CSK failed to chase down the set-target of 168 runs despite remaining in a strong position for the most part of the game as Varun Chakravarthy, Andre Russell and Sunil Narine combined to pull things back in the death overs for KKR.
After the loss, Dhoni’s family was also targeted by the trollers. The CSK skipper’s five-year-old daughter Ziva received rape threats on Instagram which led to massive outrage on social media with Irfan Pathan and other cricketers raising their voice against online abuse.
Now, former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi has reacted to Dhoni’s family receiving threats online over his team’s poor show in the IPL 2020. Afridi reminded everyone of Dhoni’s contributions to Indian cricket and said he doesn’t deserve such treatment.
“I don’t know what sort of threats were directed at MS Dhoni & his family but it’s not right & shouldn’t happen. Dhoni’s the person who has taken Indian cricket to new heights. He’s taken junior & senior players along this journey & doesn’t deserve such treatment,” Afridi was quoted as saying by Pakistani journalist Saj Sadiq on Twitter.
Shahid Afridi "I don't know what sort of threats were directed at MS Dhoni & his family but it's not right & shouldn't happen. Dhoni's the person who has taken Indian cricket to new heights. He's taken junior & senior players along this journey & doesn't deserve such treatment"
— Saj Sadiq (@SajSadiqCricket) October 11, 2020
Upon Dhoni’s retirement in August this year, Afridi had also congratulated the former India skipper for having a great career. Afridi had labelled Dhoni as one of the true legends along with wishing him best for his future endeavours.
One of the true legends of Indian cricket and one of the greatest captains, congratulations on a great career MS Dhoni! All the best for your future. https://t.co/ruw8hQ5z8Z
— Shahid Afridi (@SAfridiOfficial) August 15, 2020