MS Dhoni had got hit on his thumb while wicketkeeping and batting during the England match (Reuters Photo)

Team India wicketkeeper MS Dhoni has been drawing a lot of flak for his batting approach in the ongoing World Cup.

Fans and former cricketers have been left disappointed with the way Dhoni has struggled to score runs at a brisk pace in the tournament, thus, questioning his intent and capabilities to collect runs freely and quickly like he used to do in his initial years.

Against England, the 37-year-old became the centre of attention as he drew a lot of ire for his batting approach in the match which India lost by 31 runs on Sunday.

With India needing some 50 odd runs from the last five overs after Hardik Pandya got out, the former Indian skipper was seen struggling to find boundaries and scored the bulk of his runs in singles and doubles. He, alongwith Kedar Jadhav, scored 39 runs off the final 31 balls, which included 20 singles and seven dot deliveries.

In the end, Dhoni remained unbeaten on 41 off 32 balls as India fell short of the target by 31 runs, thus, registering their first defeat in the ongoing World Cup.

However, during the course of his slow-paced innings, what went unnoticed was the pain he was suffering while batting. Dhoni had taken a hit on his thumb twice in the game, first while wicket-keeping and then again while batting.

Pictures of Dhoni sucking his thumb and spitting blood emerged on the internet amidst all the criticism he faced from the fans.

After the images went viral, fans on social media praised the former Indian skipper for his dedication and commitment towards the team.

.@msdhoni played with an injured thumb, and spat out blood. But still, there are Experts out there on social media, who question his intent. Stupefied is the word!#TeamIndia #MSDhoni #Dhoni pic.twitter.com/uetkN903Yz MS Dhoni Fans Official (@msdfansofficial) July 2, 2019

@msdhoni you are the best, we love you champ pic.twitter.com/xYhdqMMVoP Singh Sahab ( ) (@nirajksinghh) July 3, 2019

One day he will walk away without saying anything to anyone. After that day, you all will miss him so much and regret about saying against him.



Being MS Dhoni in India isn't an easy task! But at the same moment blaming him over everything is. #MSDhoni pic.twitter.com/Lu1JfvAmCQ Sachin Suryavanshi (@sacheen1992) July 2, 2019

Though his thumb was broken still he played for his country without even telling any of his teammates @msdhoni

You always deserve my respect mahi

Your diheartfan#IndvsBan #CCW2019 pic.twitter.com/hKxSoYjhY1 Pr@gy@ Mishr@ (@pragya_mishra27) July 3, 2019

No matter what haters say, i still believe in MS Dhoni. #INDvBAN #ICCWC2019 pic.twitter.com/6AtToSJitg Avinash Raina (@AviRaina) July 2, 2019