"MS Dhoni Didn't Practice Wicketkeeping After...": Ex-India Fielding Coach's Massive Revelation
In the role of wicketkeeper, MS Dhoni scripted multiple such records that stand untouched even five years after the player's international retirement.
- Former India fielding coach R Sridhar has made a huge revelation about MS Dhoni's wicketkeeping
- "Dhoni didn't practice wicketkeeping after playing eight or nine years of international cricket," Sridhar said
- He added that Dhoni did so to keep his fingers safe, as he was active across all three formats for India
Former India captain MS Dhoni is arguably one of the greatest players in cricket history. While the world hails his potential as a captain, his batting and wicketkeeping skills were also second to none. In the role of wicketkeeper, Dhoni scripted multiple records that remain untouched even after five years of his international retirement. His lightning-fast hands and tactical acumen helped him excel with the gloves behind the stumps. Former India fielding coach Ramakrishnan Sridhar has made a big revelation regarding the player.
Sridhar said that Dhoni stopped wicketkeeping practice after having eight or nine years of experience at the international level. He instead focused on improving his reflexes with small reaction drills.
Dhoni made his India debut in 2004, and around two years later, he was playing all three formats for the country. In 2020, the player called time on his international career.
"MS Dhoni did not practice wicketkeeping after playing eight or nine years of international cricket. While he was growing up, and while he was yet to make a mark in international cricket, let's say before 2007, before 2005, he worked a lot on his wicketkeeping skills. He had a very good technique; he had a technique of his own. I wouldn't call it unorthodox but very effective," Sridhar told cricket.com.
Sridhar revealed that Dhoni stopped wicketkeeping practice later in his career to keep his fingers safe, as he was active across all three formats for India.
"He had practiced a lot, and he self-admittedly said that once he started playing three formats for India, the workload was so much that there was no need for him to practice more because his fingers were taking a beating, collecting those deliveries behind the stumps and throws, and everything else. That is when he very smartly decreased the workload as a wicketkeeper. Instead, he did some small reaction drills which kept him sharp and his gloves lightning fast," he added.
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MS Dhoni