“When in trouble, look for Mahendra Singh Dhoni”, over these years, this has been the mantra of Indian bowlers, who have achieved great success with the help of MS Dhoni’s instruction. Well, besides his lightening-fast stumping, MS Dhoni’s instructions to the young Indian bowlers from behind the stumps have always done wonders for team India.
Recently, in an interview with Times Of India, the former England bowler was all praises for MS Dhoni and his brilliance behind the stumps. Monty revealed how other England players knew nothing about the strategies of MS Dhoni but he did as he could understand each and every word of Dhoni. He said:
“Dhoni was a calm guy. He wouldn’t say much. I think he was a great judge of nonverbal communication. He was just a great reader of things. You go and say something, he won’t reply but be ready when he will come to bat or set a field for you,”
He added:
“I remember his tips to the bowlers, specially spinners from behind the stumps. ‘ Abhi thodi wide ball daalo. Abhi thoda seedha stumps pe rakho. Ye cross line khelne waala hai, seedha daalo. Ye deep mid-wicket pe chakka marega, thoda wide rakhna’ (Bowl a little wide now. Now bowl straight on the stumps. He is going to play across the line, so bowl straight. He will try for a six over mid wicket, so bowl a little wide)”
Monty, who made his debut against team India in the year 2006 in Nagpur, went on to play the 2007 series (home), 2008 series (away) and 2012 series (away).
Furthermore, in the interview, Monty revealed how he can speak in both Hindi and England but MS Dhoni wasn’t aware of the fact as he pretended as if he didn’t hear anything. He said
“I can speak hindi and Punjabi to a great extent. MSD thought I didn’t understand. I heard everything, but I also acted like MSD, as if I didn’t hear anything. I heard and (then) acted as if I didn’t hear anything. But I knew everything,”
He added:
“And believe me, he (Dhoni) has done this a number of times and got wickets. And that’s what I love about MS Dhoni and I am proud that I have played against him,”
Monty also shared his favorite memory with MS Dhoni, which happened in Mumbai when he missed his catch. He said:
“My favorite moment with Dhoni was in Mumbai when I missed his catch. It landed 10 meters on my right, went through the sun and I completely misjudged it. And then two balls later, I caught him. So, that’s cricket for you. One minute you’re zero, next minute you are a hero. He (Dhoni) will always be a hero for the nation.”
Unnati Madan
Unnati is a passionate cricket writer with a deep love and understanding of the game. As a female cricket writer, she brings a unique perspective to the sport, having had to overcome various challenges to pursue her passion for cricket. She has an experience of more than 5 years in the field of cricket writing.
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