WATCH | MS Dhoni’s suggestions help Indian bowlers against Australia

WATCH | MS Dhoni’s suggestions help Indian bowlers against Australia

MS Dhoni's immaculate game awareness has always been the guiding light for the Indian bowlers and the wrist-spin pair of Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav got the benefit of it in the first ODI. Dhoni's advises to the young spinners help them tying up the Australian batsmen from opening their arms.

India’s one of the successful limited-overs skippers MS Dhoni stepped down as the limited overs captain earlier this year, but he didn’t miss the chance to share his experience with his team members. The Australian team is in a tour of India to play five ODIs and three T20I series with the series opener was being played on September 17 at Chepauk stadium where Dhoni helped team India register a 26-run win over the Kangaroos. 

In this match, Indian batting order collapsed, but Dhoni took the responsibility on his shoulder to take the team to a respectable score of 281/7. Rain delayed the match and also resulted in a revised score for the visitors as they got the target of 164 in 21 overs. Indian bowlers ensured India’s victory as they restricted the opposition at 137/9. During the match, there were many examples which showed that Dhoni’s guidance made the bowlers’ work easy. 

After the dismissal of Travis Head, Maxwell came out to bat and Dhoni suddenly began imploring Yadav to bowl outside the off-stump. In the stump mic, he was clearly heard saying, “Stump pe mat dal,”. But the chinaman bowler failed to maintain the accuracy and the extra nip off the surface was neutralising the turn as a result, he aimed more at his body to which Maxwell was happy in exploring.

Watching that, Dhoni shouted, “Arre baahar daal, iskoitnaaagenahi (Bowl outside the off-stump, and don’t bowl this full).”  But Yadav failed to land the ball in the zone that Dhoni asked him to bowl and Maxwell kept exploiting that. Deciding his advises were going in vain, the 36-year-old ran up to the young spinner, put an arm around him and explained the situation.

Kohli has enough belief in Dhoni's understanding of situations and persisted with another spinner Yuzvendra Chahal. Chahal, who generally breaks the ball away from the right-hander, too, started in much the same way as Yadav, which irked Dhoni, “Tu bhinahinsunta hai kya (You also won’t listen)?” But, the leggie made an immediate correction and a leading edge almost carried to the bowler, before he was beaten when attempting the reverse sweep. “Aise, aise dalo,” Dhoni complimented.

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