"Dravid scolded him for playing a bad shot" - Virender Sehwag explains MS Dhoni's transformation from big-hitter to finisher

Former India opener Virender Sehwag believes that being reprimanded by Rahul Dravid for playing a bad shot changed MS Dhoni’s approach to batting. According to Sehwag, Dhoni transformed from big-hitter to finisher under Dravid’s captaincy during 2006-07.

Dhoni announced himself on the international stage with a swashbuckling 148 off 123 against Pakistan in an ODI in Visakhapatnam in April 2005. In the same year, he hammered an unbeaten 183 against Sri Lanka in Jaipur as India chased down a target of 299. Within a couple of years, though, Dhoni toned down his aggression rather significantly and came to be known as the cool finisher.

Explaining why and how the change came about, Sehwag told India TV that Dhoni modified his game since he was given the responsibility to stay out in the middle till the end. Admitting it was not easy for the wicketkeeper-batter to curb his natural instincts, Sehwag revealed:

“He was given the finisher’s role under Dravid, who once scolded him for getting out after playing a bad shot. I think that incident changed him. So around 2006-07, he transformed and started taking responsibility of finishing matches.”

The 43-year-old credited the Dhoni-Yuvraj Singh duo for playing a significant role in India’s record run of 16 consecutive chases in ODIs. Sehwag added:

“He (Dhoni) formed an unbelievable partnership with Yuvraj when we registered that record of 16 successive chases.”

Sehwag recalled that he was also scolded by Sachin Tendulkar and Javagal Srinath in South Africa for a similar reason, which led to a change in his approach as well.

“He gave his slot to Dhoni” - Virender Sehwag hails Sourav Ganguly for backing MSD

Former India captains Sourav Ganguly and MS Dhoni

Dhoni did not have an impressive start to his international career. Batting lower down the order, he registered a few low scores in his first few ODIs. Sourav Ganguly’s decision to promote the Ranchi youngster to No. 3 during a one-dayer in 2005 gave Dhoni a platform to showcase his talent and he utilized the opportunity in extraordinary fashion.

Praising Ganguly’s leadership, Sehwag commented:

“Those days (2005) we were experimenting with pinch-hitters. Dada (Ganguly) had planned that Dhoni would get 3-4 chances at No. 3. If it works then fine, otherwise they would try someone else. Very few captains do it. He first sacrificed his (opening) spot for me and then he gave his slot to Dhoni. If Dada had not done that, Dhoni might not have become such a big player.”

Dhoni went on to lead the Indian team with distinction and was the captain when Ganguly played his last Test against Australia in Nagpur in 2008.