5 best stumpings of MS Dhoni
The man has earned plaudits overs the years for his blistering batting and brilliant captaincy. But one important aspect of the man almost remained masqueraded. It is his wicket keeping that doesn’t get mentioned quite often but it has contributed to a great extent to India’s success over the years.
MS Dhoni is someone who is known to possess the fastest gloves behind the stumps. He can stump the batsman in lightning-fast speed and he is a cunning customer too. He showed glimpses of his exemplary stumping skills when he stumped Bangladesh batsman Shabbir Rehman in the game between India and Bangladesh in the ICC T20 World Cup 2016.
Shabbir missed a ball down the leg and Dhoni was quick to collect the ball. But what followed was an impeccable presence of mind from the Indian skipper. He deliberately waited before he took the bails off as Shabbir lost balance and his foot was in the air.
That was precision at its very best. The wicket was very crucial for India at that stage and it was the keeper Dhoni who brought India back into the game.
There are several other instances also when MS Dhoni showed how quick and smart he is while catching a batsman off-guard. Let’s look at 5 best stumpings of MS Dhoni:
1. Jonathan Trott and Ian Bell in the ICC Champions’ Trophy Final, 2013
India put up a meagre total of 130 on the board in the rain-curtailed the ICC Champions’ Trophy Final, 2013 in Edgbaston. England chasing started their proceedings well. However, it was the introduction of spin that turned the game on its head.
First, it was England batsman Jonathan Trott who got stumped down the leg side by Indian skipper MS Dhoni. He was quick to grab the ball and took those bells off in a flash.
Then MS Dhoni accounted for England’s best batsman Ian Bell when he caught him off-guard. For a moment, Bell was not in balance and Dhoni needed that spilt-second to take the bells off. It was a crucial dismissal as Bell could easily have won the game for England. India went on to lift the ICC Champions’ Trophy that year.
They should really thank their skipper’s gloves for that.