India is blessed with remarkable talent when it comes to cricket and is home to legendary cricketers like Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Kapil Dev, etc. One amongst them is former Indian cricket team captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Born in a middle-class family and with a humble upbringing, Dhoni started his career as a footballer before moving to cricket. In spite of belonging to a small town Ranchi where cricket was not popular, he has reached monumental heights in his international career and made a phenomenal record. He is a smart player and his leadership qualities have helped him to seal victories both as a player and as a captain. He is not only a great batsman but also the best wicket-keeper India has ever produced.
Wicketkeepers in India
Before Dhoni era, wicket-keepers in India were a rare breed and no one could live up to the expectations apart from Kiran More. India has had a long-standing history of not producing good wicket-keepers. During the early 2000s, cricket has witnessed some major changes. Gradually, the game has shifted its focus on the fitness of the players in order to help them survive in world cricket. This has also changed the role of wicket-keepers.
Earlier, a wicket-keeper was not expected to be the best batsmen but he was required to have some batting capabilities in order to play the role of a better tail-ender. But after the 2000s, the situation has changed drastically and a wicket-keeper is required to be a proper batsman and his contribution to the game is considered mandatory. For the longest time, India struggled to find the right one who suits the role of modern demands.
Dhoni’s Arrival at The International Scene
India has tried few young guns like Parthiv Patel and Dinesh Karthik but both failed to live up to the expectations. Dhoni’s performance as a batsman in some leading domestic tournaments was much appreciated and prompted the selectors to try him at international level.
The decision turned out to be a master-stroke as he scored a blistering century against arch-rivals Pakistan at his 3rd international game. Being an average wicket-keeper, Dhoni’s batting credentials led the selectors to have faith in him.
Dhoni’s Rise as a Better Wicket-Keeper
Dhoni repaid the faith of selectors by showing improvement in every series. For a few years, he worked on his wicket-keeping skills and improved himself. During his captaincy stint, his wicket-keeping helped him to take several on-field decisions. As a cricketer famous for his street smartness, Dhoni has kept his close eyes on batsmen’s footwork and suggested bowlers bowl in different lengths which worked well in a difficult circumstance. Ever since the introduction of DRS, his analyzing skills and decision-making skills are playing a huge role and more importantly whenever he has appealed for a review, maximum times the decision has been reversed.
Stumping Skills
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSxyvzAYrko
He is currently not only the best wicketkeeper in India but also his records stand tall among the world’s best wicket-keepers. His minute stumping skills are the talking points in the cricketing arena. Slowly Dhoni has become the best Indian wicketkeeper of all times and also stands at the top in the list of best wicketkeeper across the globe.
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