Explorer

IPL 2019: MS Dhoni credits tennis ball cricket for his lighting quick glove-work behind stumps

Talking about his super quick stumpings, Dhoni said, "I think it's something that's come from tennis ball cricket. But you still have to do the basics and graduate to that level. If you want to keep like that you can make mistakes; so I still think basics are most important."

Mahendra Singh Dhoni is lightning quick behind the stumps and the veteran wicket-keeper batsman said it is a skill which he has developed from tennis ball cricket. Talking about his super quick stumpings, Dhoni said, "I think it's something that's come from tennis ball cricket. But you still have to do the basics and graduate to that level. If you want to keep like that you can make mistakes; so I still think basics are most important." Skipper Dhoni has been in super form in the ongoing IPL and after sitting out for a couple of matches due to fever and a stiff back, he smashed an unbeaten 44 off 22 balls to power Chennai Super Kings to 179 against Delhi Capitals on Wednesday night. CSK were struggling in the beginning but thanks to Dhoni, CSK scored 20 runs from the last over bowled by Trent Boult with the stumper finishing off with two sixes off the final two balls. Asked about his power-packed knock, Dhoni said he had spent enough time on the wicket to understand the bowling variations and unleash his game towards the end to lead Chennai Super Kings to a match-winning total. "Watch the ball, hit the ball. You've spent time, you know the variations. By the 20th over you're almost ready and you swing at everything," Dhoni said when asked about his last-over exploits. "It's easier for somebody who has played 10-15 deliveries than someone who has just come in." Dhoni said the conditions actually favoured them though they lost the toss. "We knew there wouldn't be much dew. What we've seen is if there's no dew, there's assistance for spinners. But when we started, Bhajju pa (Harbhajan Singh) didn't get any turn. But as they started losing wickets, it started spinning, it started turning. Cricket is such a game," he said after the 80-run win over Delhi Capitals. Left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja, who took three wickets, said the wicket helped spinners."Obviously I enjoyed bowling, the way the wicket was turning. I was bowling in good areas and the wicket was doing the rest for me," he said. Asked how it helps having someone like Imran Tahir bowling in tandem with him, Jadeja said the South African has been "fantastic" "He has been taking wickets whenever we needed. Me, Immy bhai and Bhajju pa (Harbhajan) as a unit, we are bowling the way we want to bowl. Still one more game to go. We need to continue our momentum. Everyone is in good form so we just need to keep the winning momentum going." Jadeja said Dhoni can be described by one word and that is 'genius'.Losing skipper Shreyas Iyer said the defeat was a "reality check" for Delhi. "It's really going to affect us. The way we played was not expected. Everybody will be on their toes in the next game. Wouldn't blame the abilities of our team but we didn't play smart cricket. We should have curtailed them," he said. Iyer said they missed someone like Kagiso Rabada in death overs after the South African pacer was ruled out of the game due to a back issue. "He's (Rabada) an amazing bowler especially in the slog overs. For sure we missed him. But he had a stiff back, it's good he got to take rest. We're keeping the hope and definitely want to finish in the top two.
View More
Advertisement

IPL Auction 2025

Most Expensive Players In The Squad
Virat Kohli
₹21 CR
Josh Hazlewood
₹12.50 CR
Phil Salt
₹11.50 CR
View all
Most Expensive Players In The Squad
Rishabh Pant
₹27 CR
Nicholas Pooran
₹21 CR
Ravi Bishnoi
₹11 CR
View all
Most Expensive Players In The Squad
Jasprit Bumrah
₹18 CR
Suryakumar Yadav
₹16.35 CR
Hardik Pandya
₹16.35 CR
View all
Most Expensive Players In The Squad
Heinrich Klaasen
₹23 CR
Pat Cummins
₹18 CR
Abhishek Sharma
₹14 CR
View all
Most Expensive Players In The Squad
Ruturaj Gaikwad
₹18 CR
Ravindra Jadeja
₹18 CR
Matheesha Pathirana
₹13 CR
View all
Most Expensive Players In The Squad
Shreyas Iyer
₹26.75 CR
Arshdeep Singh
₹18 CR
Yuzvendra Chahal
₹18 CR
View all
Most Expensive Players In The Squad
Sanju Samson
₹18 CR
Yashaswi Jaiswal
₹18 CR
Riyan Parag
₹14 CR
View all
Most Expensive Players In The Squad
Venkatesh Iyer
₹23.75 CR
Rinku Singh
₹13 CR
Varun Chakaravarthy
₹12 CR
View all
Most Expensive Players In The Squad
Rashid Khan
₹18 CR
Shubman Gill
₹16.50 CR
Jos Buttler
₹15.75 CR
View all
Most Expensive Players In The Squad
Axar Patel
₹16.50 CR
KL Rahul
₹14 CR
Kuldeep Yadav
₹13.25 CR
View all
Advertisement
25°C
New Delhi
Rain: 100mm
Humidity: 97%
Wind: WNW 47km/h
See Today's Weather
powered by
Accu Weather
Advertisement

Top Headlines

As Race For Maharashtra CM Post Heats Up, Eknath Shinde Upset Over BJP's 'Claim' For Top Post: Sources
As Race For Maharashtra CM Post Heats Up, Eknath Shinde Upset Over BJP's 'Claim' For Top Post: Sources
Schools In Delhi-NCR To Go In Hybrid Mode After Supreme Court Directive On Air Pollution
Schools In Delhi-NCR To Go In Hybrid Mode After Supreme Court Directive On Air Pollution
PAN 2.0 Announced: Do You Need To Change PAN Number? Will It Be Free? All Your FAQs Answered
PAN 2.0 Announced: Do You Need To Change PAN Number? Will It Be Free? All Your FAQs Answered
Rashmi Shukla Reappointed As Maharashtra DGP After Mahayuti Win
Rashmi Shukla Reappointed As Maharashtra DGP After Mahayuti Win
Advertisement
ABP Premium

Videos

FIR Filed Against Sambhal MP Ziaur Rahman, Statement Released Amidst ControversyFIR Filed Against Sambhal MP Ziaur Rahman and Local MLA's Son in Controversial CaseSambhal Violence Sparks Political Firestorm, Congress MP Imran Masood's Strong Remarks | ABP NewsBreaking News: SP Leader Ram Gopal Yadav Reacts to Sambhal Violence | ABP News

Photo Gallery

Embed widget