Dhoni continues to turn clock back with his lightning-quick stumpings

Suryakumar Yadav is stumped by M.S. Dhoni off Noor Ahmad’s bowling.
| Photo Credit: R. RAGU

In Chennai Super Kings’ season-opener win against Mumbai Indians, M.S. Dhoni did not have to do much with the bat walking out to the middle when his team needed just four to win.

However, the 43-year-old made his impact earlier in the evening behind the stumps when he pulled off one of his lightning-quick stumpings to leave Suryakumar Yadav stranded and stunned. In the context of the match, it was a pivotal moment as the stand-in MI skipper had forged a 51-run stand with Tilak Varma. The wicket triggered a mini-collapse.

Much like his batting, Dhoni’s wicketkeeping technique doesn’t follow the copybook, but he continues to set the bar. His effectiveness is even more pronounced while standing up to the spinners. This is crucial, especially on the spinner-friendly surfaces at the MAC Stadium.

“Over the last 50 years, ’keepers have been doing the same. They say in cricket that you give — when the ball is coming to you, you are supposed to receive it. I said, ‘why do you need to receive the ball?’ We have rubber gloves and there is cotton (inner gloves) inside. So it’s already quite soft. I don’t have to give (receive), I can snatch the ball,” Dhoni had explained about his technique a few years ago.

The fraction of seconds he saves by intercepting the ball as it passes the stumps has spelt doom for batters, something that Suryakumar found out on Sunday.

Though Dhoni’s role in the IPL has changed since last year, having handed over the captain’s armband to Ruturaj Gaikwad and batting lower down the order, he is a major influence with the big gloves and his valuable inputs.

“If I’m not wicketkeeping, I think I’m useless on the field because that’s where I read the game in the best possible manner. When I’m right behind the stumps, I’m in a better position to judge what is happening and convey to the captain what is happening,” he said recently on JioHotstar’s MS Dhoni Experience show. Dive deeper into our offerings and resources by visiting us at 9BET.