"MS Dhoni Has Not Been There": Dinesh Karthik Explains Reason Behind Indian Duo's Dip In Form

Few years back, Indian spinners Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav were on top of their game, winning important games for Team India, especially in the shortest format of the game. However, for the past couple of years, both players have struggled to find form, which has been compounded by their lack of playing time. India cricketer Dinesh Karthik analysed the reasons behind their struggle after the 2019 World Cup in England. Karthik, who is not a part of the Indian set-up at the moment, said that the absence of MS Dhoni behind the wickets has definitely played a part in their dip in form. 

"I think that the advent of their bowling has dipped because somebody like MS Dhoni has not been there post the (2019) World Cup. I've seen how much he helped them. They don't need help when the going gets good or they're bowling and getting beaten, or when they don't know which way the bowl will turn," Karthik said during a discussion on Cricbuzz. 

Karthik stated that whenever Chahal and Kuldeep struggled to hit the right line and length, Dhoni's "words of wisdom" had always helped the spinners more often than not. 

"But when somebody hits a slog-sweep or just plays the reverse-sweep, then you have the wise words of wisdom coming from a man who has so much experience and they love him so much. They (are) worth the weight in gold," he said. 

The 36-year-old added that while Virat Kohli was the captain in most of the games, Chahal and Kuldeep were listening to Dhoni more. 

"Virat Kohli could've been the captain in many of those matches, but who were they listening to? Definitely MS Dhoni. They trusted him completely. He really guided them well," Karthik added. 

Both Kuldeep and Chahal were dropped from India's squad for the T20 World Cup last year. 

While Chahal did make a return to the team after the tournament, Kuldeep has not played for India since the white-ball series against England last year at home. 

Topics mentioned in this article

India Cricket Team Yuzvendra Chahal Kuldeep Yadav MS Dhoni Dinesh Karthik Virat Kohli Cricket