Search the Community

"We have a new wicketkeeper in town," PCB says

Mahendra Singh Dhoni agreed to become the mentor for the Indian cricket team, not more than a couple of months ago and the former skipper seems to know exactly what and how does he need to train the young guns of the squad ahead of the T20 World Cup 2021. With just two days left for the Virat Kohli-led side to play their first official match of the tournament against Pakistan, a video of ‘mentor’ Dhoni imparting invaluable wicket-keeping knowledge to his prodigy, Rishabh Pant, had gone viral on social media. Mentor MS Dhoni & Rishabh Pant #T20WorldCup #MSDhoni #INDvAUS pic.twitter.com/zlifcdDP4j — Shoronjeet Banerjee (@shoronjeet02) October 20, 2021 Fans from all corners of the country were simply overjoyed to watch their favourite wicket-keeper of all time being finally back in a Team India jersey, albeit as a mentor of the supporting staff. The sight of a young and energetic Pant getting to embrace the years and years of unorthodox knowledge that a keeper as unique as Dhoni gathered over the course of decades of experience had their supporters raving online. MS is working too hard. — Aditya Saha (@Adityakrsaha) October 20, 2021 Now getting respect towards him great for our team Tbh — Cricket Lover (@ReloadedRohit) October 20, 2021 Wow yar atleast 30 min dikhana chahiye ise to — anany shukla (@_cow_corner) October 20, 2021 MS should mentor till 2023 wc — karma (@karmathebitch07) October 20, 2021 Advantage rishabh pant — . (@kwilliamson22_) October 20, 2021 He is serious about his new postthat's why we love him — Roshini (@Roshniraman07) October 20, 2021 According to BCCI Secretary Jay Shah, the plans of having Dhoni onboard as the mentor for the Indian side wasn’t even a plan until the second leg of the Indian Premier League began in the United Arab Emirates earlier this year. The unofficial position of being a mentor to the team was specifically made for ‘Thala’ simply because of the kind of winning experience that he possesses when it comes to World Cups and other ICC tournaments. View this post on Instagram “He was okay with my decision and agreed to be a Team Mentor of Team India for the T20 World Cup only. I am glad that MS (Dhoni) has accepted the BCCI’s offer and he is keen to contribute to the national team once again. MS will work closely with Ravi Shastri as well as other support staff to provide support and direction to Team India,” Shah had said. It was also revealed by the Indian cricket board official that ‘Captain Cool’ had agreed to fulfill this duty while taking absolutely no special salary from the organisation and that he made his services available to the squad for free. View this post on Instagram At 40 years of age, Dhoni also won his fourth IPL title as the CSK skipper mere days before starting his campaign with the Indian squad. View the full article

Mahendra Singh Dhoni was one of the greatest players of his generations. Apart from hitting towering sixes, Dhoni was also capable of turning matches around from behind the stumps. He was exceptionally quick behind the wickets and holds the world record for the fastest stumping. © Reuters From his batting to wicket-keeping skills, everything about him was unorthodox yet very effective and that is what helped him become a modern-day great. Apart from hard work and dedication, there can’t be any fixed explanation as to what made him this successful at the international level for such a long time. However, even though he has retired from all formats of international cricket, people still find ways to describe his effectiveness both behind and in front of the stumps in their own style. “Only for a fraction of a second and Dhoni, like lightning, had those bails off.” Happy birthday to one of the sharpest keepers in cricket history pic.twitter.com/WNwxngwx5E — ICC (@ICC) July 7, 2021 Like many of us, current India head coach Ravi Shastri, who saw the former Indian skipper prosper in front of his eyes, is a fan of Dhoni’s wicket-keeping abilities. However, in his new book, Shastri wrote that he would not advise any youngster to copy Dhoni’s technique as it’s not something that can be taught. © Reuters “MS is an unorthodox cricketer. His technique, in front of and behind the stumps, is not easily replicable. My suggestion to youngsters is don't try imitating him unless it comes naturally. What made him so successful were his splendid hands. They were quicker than a pickpocket's!” Shastri wrote in his new book Stargazing: The Players In My Life. “No other wicketkeeper, at least in the era MS has played, was that fast. He was the best in the world for a long while, and in white-ball cricket by a long distance,” he added. © Reuters Some people weren’t happy with the fact that Shastri compared Dhoni’s skills with a pickpocket. They even suggested better alternatives that would have helped him put across his thoughts with the same effectiveness. Comparison of DHONI with Pickpocket Shastri bewda hai aaj pata chala He could have compared with Lightening / thunder / nano seconds, eye blink etc. — 𝗛𝗜𝗧𝗠𝗔𝗡 LOVER (@ILoveYouJanu143) September 4, 2021Who knows, he worked in railways — San. (@294li) September 4, 2021The fact that Dhoni’s career overlapped with some of the best wicket-keepers of all-time, including Kumar Sangakkara,, Adam Gilchrist and Mark Boucher, and yet he was regarded as the best of them all, speaks volumes about how good he was. © Twitter/Chennai Super Kings Dhoni might have retired from international cricket but his fans would see him step on the field once again when the Indian Premier League 2021 resumes in the United Arab Emirates later this month. He might not be the same batsman that he once was but he continues to be as lethal behind the stumps as before and we shouldn’t be surprised if he turns back the clock later this month. View the full article

Mohammed Siraj forced a much-needed quick blow to the Australian cricket team in the second innings when he dismissed debutant Will Pucovski on the penultimate ball of the sixth over on a stunning caught-behind. Siraj’s brilliance with the new ball was seen in the first innings as well when he had scalped David Warner early in the first innings as well, but the catch to dismiss Pucovski was more about the Indian wicket-keeper Wriddhiman Saha. Saha is already in the game! Pucovski gone for 10. Live #AUSvIND: https://t.co/KwwZDwbdzO pic.twitter.com/zF795sTXFp — cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) January 9, 2021An unfortunate chain of events led to the main keeper Rishabh Pant to get medical assistance in emergency after a blistering Pat Cummins delivery struck him on his left elbow, rendering him unfit to field during the second innings of the Sydney Test. This by default opened doors for Saha and he made the most out of this opportunity as securing the Australian opener’s catch with a diving effort. It quickly helped the tables turn in favour of Saha on the ongoing debate about how the better wicket keeper is for the team in the longest format of the game, especially after Pant dropped two catches in the first innings that allowed the hosts to put up a 337-run total. Fans jumped on the Saha bandwagon seconds after the catch: The difference between saha and pant as keeper is evident. India should not preffer a batsman over wicket keeper because if a poor wicket keeper is behind the stumps it can cost you a lot of runs as it did u in first innnings. Ind should play pant as proffesional batsman... — MuhammadJawad Khan (Cricket fan) (@JawadMjk) January 9, 2021In all probability, Pant would've dropped that one. Expecting to see Langer fume up again #INDvsAUS #saha #pant — Sahil (@Im_SVee) January 9, 2021@SonySportsIndia Why Team Management is giving priority to Pant over Saha everytime? Is his(Pant) batting skills suits for test or we are just waiting for an unexpected cameo in a test from him?#AskTheExperts — Rohit Singh (@rsr_1994) January 9, 2021#AskTheExperts @SonySportsIndia we can trust wridhiman saha rather than rishabh pant in test matches bcoz he is the best wicketkeeper in the world — Sanjeev Saluja (@SanjeevSaluja9) January 9, 2021Can't we just play pant as a pure batsman and let saha be the keeper,Vihari should be dropped. #AUSvIND — HappyTweeting (@r_rincy) January 9, 2021 View the full article

Mahendra Singh Dhoni has, arguably, been the most-talked about cricketer in the tenth edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Whether it's his brilliant sixes or match-winning knocks, Dhoni has been the talk of the town. Even in criticism, people just can't stop talking about the former Indian captain. From former cricketers to the brother of the Rising Pune Supergiant owner, the Jharkhand cricketer has been a subject of immense criticism for his rare dip in form this season. It's not like Dhoni hasn't performed at all this year; the 35-year-old has set such a bar for himself that whenever he misses out on scoring big, the critics are quick to jump down his throat. But, even in his struggle to score runs, Dhoni has surely made up for his dismal run with a stellar show behind the stumps. And Dhoni's recent feat shows how valuable he has been for Pune in the IPL this season. © Twitter/IPL The right-hander added yet another feather to his illustrious career after becoming only the second wicket-keeper to complete 100 dismissals in IPL history. Dhoni has now joined Dinesh Karthik who currently sits at the top with 106 dismissals in 152 IPL matches. Dhoni notched up the milestone during Pune's crucial league game against Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) when he caught Axar Patel off Dan Christian's bowling at the MCA stadium. Thanks to his wicket-keeping skills, Dhoni now has 101 dismissals to his name in 157 IPL games. This isn't the first time that Dhoni has proved he is the one true 'magician' behind the stumps. Amongst multiple contributing factors behind Pune's play-offs berth, Dhoni's contribution, not just with the bat but also with the wicket-keeping gloves, has been pivotal. VIDEO: IN A FLASH! Absolute boss behind the stumps - @msdhoni https://t.co/zbwsVvySSg #IPL @RPSupergiants #RCBvRPS — IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 17, 2017 Thanks to his glove work, Pune are now staring at a potential IPL final berth ahead of their clash against Mumbai Indians (MI) in Qualifer 1 on 16 May. This is the ninth time in 10 IPL seasons that a team involving Dhoni has made it to the final four stage of the tournament. In the first eight IPL seasons with Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Dhoni was a part of the last four on all occasions.