MS Dhoni is one player you would love to have in your team irrespective of whether he is captaining or not. He has an astute cricketing brain and can really provide some crucial inputs with which can help a captain or bowler at any time.
Steven Smith has credited Dhoni for being a leader on the pitch alongside him in RPS and even Virat has spoken about his admiration for Dhoni’s cricketing brain. Here are a few instance he has helped Virat ease into the captaincy role:
Introducing Kedar Jadhav into the attack
Dhoni was instrumental in ensuring Kedar Jadhav was bought into the attack in the game versus Bangladesh in the Champions Trophy. Dhoni was asked for a suggestion by Virat when Tamim Iqbal and Mushfiqur Rahim were wreaking havoc on the other bowlers.
He told Kohli to bring Kedar into the attack as the Bangladeshis would not have planned for a part-timer. Jadhav went on to remove both Iqbal and the dangerous Mahmudullah to help India find their way back and win the game.
Proved Virat Kohli wrong:
In the third ODI versus England, Kohli was captaining his first ever tournament. There was a shout for LBW and Kohli consulted Dhoni. Dhoni seemed to be telling his captain that there was a nick and that a DRS would prove futile.
Kohli being Kohli went ahead with the decision and to nobody’s surprise, his call was given wrong. Dhoni just smiled and that’s because he knows when to take the DRS and when not to.
Calling the right bowlers:
In the same series versus England, Dhoni called Kohli and made him change the bowlers on two occasions which went on to be the right ones. First, Kohli wanted to bring Hardik on but Dhoni suggested Jadhav’s name to stifle the batsmen and Jadhav went on to pick a wicket.
Also, when Kohli wanted to bring Bhuvi on, Dhoni said Bumrah would be the better option and once again was proven right.
Fielding positions:
On many occasions, Dhoni has directed fielders to take up positions where he feels the ball would end up at. This has happened on multiple occasions and sometimes, it gets confusing as to who the actual captain is.
Dhoni has a better view of the game behind the stumps and he has taken the right call on multiple occasions.
The Dhoni-Kohli story is one of mutual respect and Kohli’s love for Dhoni is very apparent. Kohli has credited Dhoni for allowing him to be himself and play his natural game whilst also pushing him to strive for the best.
By Rohit Nair
