India spinner Kuldeep Yadav said he missed former captain MS Dhoni’s inimitable presence behind the stumps in national colours.
While the left-arm wrist-spinner was one of India’s leading bowlers in their 4-1 Test series win against England recently, Kuldeep never featured in a Test under Dhoni. However, Kuldeep revelled in white-ball cricket under the guidance of Dhoni from his debut in 2017 up until India’s 2019 ODI World Cup semifinal.
Having endured a low patch between 2020 and 2022 before bolting back into the scheme of things across formats, Kuldeep said Dhoni’s tactical nous and wicketkeeping presence bolstered his performance. “I wanted him to play more because it was very easy for us when we were bowling. After Dhoni retired, my performance with the ball wasn’t great,” Kuldeep said in an exclusive interview with The Indian Express.
“It happens when a person guides you and that person’s influence is not there anymore, then suddenly everything is on your shoulders. It takes time for you to react to the situation… that probably happened to me. Then slowly you understand and become self-reliant.”
Kuldeep had picked up 114 of his 227 limited-overs wickets in the presence of Dhoni. His bowling average jumps over 26 from 22 in the absence of India’s most successful captain and wicketkeeper.
Thala Dhoni smashing long sixes 🥵💥@MSDhoni #MSDhoni #IPL2024 pic.twitter.com/YyOZk2aYai
— DHONI Era™ 🤩 (@TheDhoniEra) March 16, 2024
Big brains
“(Yuzvendra) Chahal and I really enjoyed when Mahi bhai was keeping wickets, he used to give lots of ideas. I didn’t have to think too much when I was bowling. I just had to bowl and he would even adjust the fields. No doubt the time I had with Mahi bhai on the field and even off the field was great.
Kuldeep and Dhoni last played together in a 2019 ODI World Cup match against Sri Lanka in Leeds.
While Dhoni announced his international retirement on August 15, 2020, the veteran continued to feature in the IPL with Chennai Super Kings. Dhoni led CSK to their fourth and fifth titles in 2021 and 2023 and is gearing up for his 17th season.
At 42, Dhoni will become one of the IPL’s oldest players when he steps out to lead CSK in the IPL 2024 opener against Royal Challengers Bangalore in Chennai on March 22.
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