England beat India by 31 runs in Edgbaston on Sunday, landing India its first defeat in World Cup.
Eoin Morgan's side posted 337-7 thanks to Jonny Bairstow’s 111 and a dashing 79 from Ben Stokes. India finished their innings at 306/5 in 50 overs, losing by 31 runs.
Former cricketer turned commentator Shoaib Akhtar said Indian team could have played better.
Indian cricket fans, however, felt Dhoni failed to live up to the occasion.
MS Dhoni scored 42 not out in 31 balls with five boundaries and one sixer.
However, many said it was a poor performance as MS Dhoni did not try hard enough. Instead of going for big shots, MS Dhoni relied on singles in the final overs.
Former Indian skipper Saurabh Ganguly, who was in the commentary box at that time, said, "I don't have an explanation for these singles."
Ganguly's co-commentator Nasser Hussain was also surprised at Indian team's performance.
"India is going down without a fight," Nasser Hussain said.
"I don't understand what Dhoni is doing? At least give it a go!"
Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar described MS Dhoni's approach as baffling.
Dhoni, arguably the best finisher in the world, scored runs with a strike rate of 135.48, highest in the team.
However, he, along with Kedar Jadhav, could not take the score to the winning target, which many believe was achievable.
"Dhoni and Jadhav scored 39 runs off last 31 balls for the 6th wicket! That is beyond explanation," tweeted cartoonist and avid cricket fan Satish Acharya.
India was required 71 runs to win in the last five overs. However, Dhoni and Jadhav could manage only 39 runs in last 31 balls with 20 singles.
Some argued Dhoni played according to the conditions and should not be blamed for the defeat.
Dhoni's fans came to his defence and tried to prove that he played well.
This was the Indian team's first defeat in this world cup. They have played eight matches and won five. One match was abandoned due to bad weather. India plays against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka next in the tournament.
