R Sridhar On Dhini's Wicketkeeping (Source: @imDhoni_fc/x.com, @coach_rsridhar/x.com)
MS Dhoni’s efficiency as the wicketkeeper is unreal, as sometimes the light falls short in front of his speed. For batters, his stumpings are more frightening than a bowler’s fiercest delivery.
The cricketing world may be stunned to learn that Captain Cool barely practiced wicketkeeping recently. In a candid interaction, Team India’s former fielding coach R Sridhar spilled the secret of the legend’s mastery.
Sridhar Exposes The Secret Of Dhoni's Wicketkeeping Mastery
Among the wicketkeepers of the cricket world, MS Dhoni’s brilliance behind the stumps is unmatched. Lightning-fast speed with an exceptional cricket brain, the former Indian captain troubled the batters even more than the bowlers. Clean dismissals with outstanding effort, he has transformed himself into one of the best wicketkeeper-batters of all time.
In his illustrated career, Dhoni owns a staggering 829 dismissals behind the stumps, with 634 sharp catches and an unmatched 195 stumpings. But the stats come with a shock. Recently speaking to Cricket. Com, former India fielding coach R Sridhar revealed that Dhoni gave up wicketkeeping practice years ago, only to grow sharper with time.
“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,” he said.
Workload Emerges As Crucial Reason For Dhoni's Move
After stepping into the international cricket arena, MS Dhoni became an all-format player in a very short time span. Due to the workload, the legend stopped practicing wicketkeeping much. Instead, as R Sridhar revealed, Dhoni relied on short, focused drills to sharpen his skills and boost effectiveness behind the stumps.
“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 said.
Hanging up boots from the international cricket from five years back, fans eagerly wait for the IPL to see the legend in action. After IPL 2025 wrapped up, questions were raised over his availability in the next season. As the legend is yet to take a call, fans eagerly hope to witness him once more in the iconic yellow jersey.
