Mahendra Singh Dhoni is among the greatest finishers the world has seen but behind the stumps, he has his own style. We’re not just talking about his lightning-quick stumping or catching, but also the pearls of wisdom he dishes out from the best seat in the box.
And while he may not be captain anymore, there’s no let-up from him.
India’s two wrist-spinners, Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal took five wickets between them in Australia’s botched chase in Chennai in the first One-Day International. But it seems Dhoni had a part to play in that.
A report by NDTV Sports states that the former captain continued to give advice to his two spinners when they were bowling. Yadav was provided tidbits like “Woh maarne waala daal naa, andar yaa baahar koi bhi (bowl the one where he attempts to hit, turning in or away, anything is fine)“ and “Na, na, na. Isko itna aage nahi (not this full)”, the latter after Glenn Maxwell carted him away for a six.
In fact, Kuldeep Yadav even alluded to the same when he discussed how he got David Warner’s wicket through a flipper.
He also gave Chahal advice like “Ghumane waala daal ghumane waala (bowl the one that turns)” and, once after seemingly getting frustrated, “Tu bhi nahin sunta hai kya (You also won’t listen)? Aise, aise dalo (bowl it like this)“.
Of course, Dhoni is no stranger to coming up with some hilarious gems from behind the stumps in his long captaincy career. Here’s a compilation of some of his best:
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