'If Not Wicketkeeping, I'm Useless On The Field': MS Dhoni Calls Himself Safe Keeper Who Doesn't Dive A Lot
Legendary wicketkeeper-batter MS Dhoni might be in his early forties, but he continues to be impressive behind the stumps.
MS Dhoni continues to impress with his wicketkeeping skills, even at the age of 43. The Chennai Super Kings legend hit the headlines with a lightning-fast stumping in his first appearance of IPL 2025 recently against Mumbai Indians.
MI captain Suryakumar Yadav had stepped out to play a shot off Noor Ahmad’s delivery.
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As he missed the shot, Dhoni collected the ball on his right and showed great reflexes to dismantle the stumps in just 0.12 seconds. Ahead of the game at Chepuak, the former India captain was asked about a diving one-handed catch that he took against Gujarat Titans last season.
While his effort stunned many, Dhoni claimed that it was “a fluke" as he always tried to use both hands in such situations. The five-time IPL champion further called himself a safe ‘keeper who is more interested in making an impact with his skills rather than going for “great catches".
“It’s a fluke. If you closely monitor it, it feels like a sack of rice falling from the back of a truck. The whole thing is if we can reach with two hands, I’ve always been a fan of trying to take catches with two hands, and it helps," Dhoni said on JioHotstar.
“So, it always feels good if you can contribute like this. But I’m not somebody who you would see dive around a lot or to take those, you know, great catches, one-handed great catches. I’m quite a safe keeper. I like to keep it like that," he added.
During the interaction, Dhoni also opened up about how wicketkeeping has helped him read the game more accurately.
“It’s a challenge and that’s what makes it interesting, and also the fact that if I’m not wicketkeeping, I think I’m useless on the field. Because that’s where I read the game in the best possible manner. I have to be really close to the game, for the angles, to see how the bowler is bowling, and how the wicket is behaving," Dhoni explained.
“When I’m right behind the stump, I’m in a better position to judge what really is happening and then to convey to the captain as to this is what is happening, whether it’s a bad delivery that has gone for a 6 or it’s a good delivery that the batsman has hit for a 6. I can differentiate between the two when I’m behind the stumps," he added.
A capacity crowd at Chepuak witnessed the return of “Thala".
Dhoni walked into the crease following the run-out of Ravindra Jadeja towards the fag end of the contest when CSK needed only four runs to seal the deal. Dhoni played two dot balls before Rachin Ravindra finished things off with a monstrous six.
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