Mahendra Singh Dhoni – this is one name that has changed the course of Indian cricket tremendously. Indian fans owe a great deal to MSD for his contributions to the game, and those contributions don’t seem likely to stop any time soon."Leadership is action, not position."Perhaps nobody defines this quote better better than Dhoni. On the field, he is always seen talking and giving tips to bowlers and fielders. Dhoni has the ability to scold players in a way that sounds funny but also shows his amazing understanding of the game.Here are a few statements made by Dhoni behind the stumps which will surely bring a smile to your face.
#1 The girlfriend remark
Fondly known as 'Captain Cool', Dhoni always manages to keep the mood of the team light.
In a Test match, Sreesanth was slacking off in the field, constantly moving away from his original position. Dhoni promptly said, "Oye Sree udhar girlfriend nahi hai, idhar aa ja thoda” (Hey Sree, your girlfriend isn't there. Come ahead a bit).
On another occasion, Dhoni tried to imitate a commentator's description of Jadeja's bowling, quipping, "Bharpoor bowling ka pradarshan karte hue Ravindra Jadeja!"
#2 Outfoxing Michael Clarke
After a big partnership between the openers in the third Australia-India Test in Mohali in 2013, Michael Clarke came to the crease in his bid to build on the openers' work.
Dhoni, knowing Clarke would want to get on top of the spinners from the word go, told Jadeja, "Pehli ball thoda tez daalna, ye pehli hi ball aage badhega" (Bowl the first one faster, he'll charge down the wicket on the first ball itself).
Jadeja followed Dhoni's instructions and on cue, Clarke charged down the wicket, only to miss the ball and allow Dhoni to effect a quick stumping!\
#3 The attacking captain
It's a universally known fact that Dhoni doesn't mind taking risks, and that's the strategy he wants his bowlers to adapt too.
In the 2014 World T20 match against Australia, he urged Ravindra Jadeja to bowl it slow and loopy and even get hit for a six. "Thoda dheere daal, ek chhakka khaake dikha” (bowl it slow and invite the batsman to hit a six). Jadeja, still clueless, sent down a faster one.
During the second Test against New Zealand in Hyderabad in 2012, the visitors were five wickets down in the second innings, with a lead of almost 200 runs. Kruger van Wyk and James Franklin were in the middle, at which point Dhoni told Umesh Yadav, "Umi, agar chota striker pe hai toh ek over, nahi toh bas” (Umi, if the shorter one is on the strike next over, you'll get one over, otherwise enough).
He was referring to van Wyk, the Kiwi wicket-keeper batsman.
#4 Scold it like Dhoni
The 'cool' MSD is not one to directly show his anger to the bowler or fielder. Instead, he subtly puts the message across so that his players know he means business.
Once, when Ravindra Jadeja was erring in his length on the off-stump against New Zealand in a Test match, Dhoni reminded him why he had kept Pujara in the slips. "Ye ghoomega toh Pujara ko isiliye idhar rakha hai, voh udhar taali bajaane ke liye nahi hai" (If the ball turns, I've kept Pujara in the slips for catching; he's not standing there just to clap).
Interestingly, Jadeja seems to get the best comments out of Dhoni when he's bowling.
On another occasion when the left-armer was spraying the ball around, Dhoni told Jadeja, "Vijay apna hi fielder hai use catch lene ke liye hi aage rakha hai, off mein bowl fenk." (Vijay is in our team; he's in close in position to take a catch, keep bowling on the off-stump).
#5 The Ian Bell pun
There is one Dhoni-Ian Bell incident that is known for completely different reasons, but this one has nothing to do with the spirit of the game. On more than one occasion, Dhoni has referred to the English middle-order batsman as 'ghanti' (bell), referring to his surname in Hindi.
In 2008, he was caught on the mic, saying "Ghanti bajaao iski” (Ring this bell), apparently urging his bowlers to take his wicket.
Then in 2012, he once more referred to Bell as 'ghanti', saying to his fielders "Ghanti ko lekey jaayenge” (We'll take the wicket of Bell before the break).
#6 Advising Kohli on the field
MS Dhoni may not be the captain anymore – but he certainly has a captain’s bent of mind! In the second ODI against New Zealand at Pune on 25th October 2017, Dhoni was heard on the stump mic advising current skipper Virat Kohli on field placement. Cheeku, do-teen jan ko idhar chhod de (Virat, keep 2-3 fielders here),” he said, taking control of proceedings at the match.
In the same match he advised Kedar Jadhav on his bowling, saying “bahut badhiya, Kedu (Very well done, Kedar)” before adding, “Yours, yeh ball accha hai iske liye. Beech beech main. Har teesra ball yeh daal saktaa hai (It is yours. At some point, this delivery is good against him (Tom Latham). You can bowl this every third ball).”
Dhoni was heard constantly giving advice to fielders and bowlers through the match, showing
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