Dhoni vs Sehwag and other famous cricket spats

Call it miscommunication or communication through the media there is definitely something off about the relationship between Captain MS Dhoni and Vice-Captain Virender Sehwag. But this is not the first time this has happened in Indian Cricket. Sehwag and Dhoni's rift is not the first time such reports have surfaced between players.

Here are some of the most infamous bust-ups in cricket.

Sehwag vs Dhoni: They were never great friends but their differences of opinion was never this stark. Dhoni, after the crushing defeat against Australia on Sunday, had stated that the three senior openers - Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar and Gautam Gambhir - were not being picked together in the tournament because they are slow fielders and could cost the side at least 20 runs.

Sehwag, who was playing a stand-in skipper in the next match, retorted and said Dhoni gave a different reason to them for playing youngsters. "What he told us was to give chance to youngsters and come here and play the next World Cup. That was what he told us," Sehwag said.

Clearly, all's not well in Team India.

Dravid vs Ganguly: They were known to be different from each other yet they got along well and had tremendous respect for each other until this happened. Ganguly vs Dravid was a by-product of the big fight in Indian cricket - The Ganguly-Chappell Spat. While Greg Chappell wanted Ganguly to step down as captain, Dravid, the vice-captain then, was guilty of not supporting Dada but side with Chappell instead. Recently, Dada said in an interview that Dravid did not have the guts to stop Chappell.

Kapil vs Gavaskar: It was indeed a clash of titans. Captain Sunil Gavaskar dropped Kapil Dev from the playing XI for the Calcutta Test in 1984. This prevented Kapil from achieving the feat of playing consecutive hundred Tests. And this ensured a rivalry never to be forgotten. However, both have moved on with time.

Michael Clarke vs Simon Katich: It all started in 2009 when an angry Simon Katich took Michael Clarke by his throat during an argument over the singing of the team song after their win over South Africa in Sydney. Things turned sour forever. Two years later, when Clarke took over the captaincy from Ricky Ponting, Katich found himself discarded from the Test side. He claimed that his 2009 dressing-room blow-up with Clarke had led to his contract being torn up.

Sidhu vs Azhar: This might even qualify as one the greatest mysteries of Indian cricket. In 1996, Navjot Singh Sidhu flew back to India before the start of the Test series in England after a spat with Mohammad Azharuddin. That there was an ugly fight is well documented but what was said exactly between the two remains unknown.

Chandu Borde vs Nawab Pataudi: In the 1962 tour of the West Indies, India found themself without a captain when Nari Contractor was struck on the head, never to play competitive cricket again. India then chose to overlook 28-year old Chandu Borde and appoint a 21-year old Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi the captain. This led to a long standing cold war between the two.

Shoaib Akhtar vs Mohd Asif: These two temperamental Pakistan pacers had a face off in 2007, a week before the inaugural World T20. Apparently the fight between the two started after Asif and Shahid Afridi disagreed with Shoaib that he shared the same stature as Imran Khan in Pakistan cricket and even ridiculed him for making such a comparison. Shoaib went on to hit Asif with a bat on his left thigh. He was recalled and banned for 5 matches.

Waqar Younis vs Wasim Akram: These two legends of swing bowling were bitter rivals as well. Their infightings were known when they were on top. A few years back, Akram said in an interview: "We hated each other so much that we were not even on talking terms both on and off the field; but the fact is that Pakistan benefited from our rivalry. Every time Waqar took wickets, I too would too get charged up to do the same."

With time, things have cooled down and the two are friends now.