‘Ojha, iski ghanti baja de’: Pragyan Ojha recalls how a witty MS Dhoni instructed him to dismiss Ian Bell
Former Indian spinner Pragyan Ojha recalled how MS Dhoni's hilarious comments from behind the stumps helped him dismiss Ian Bell. Dhoni announced his retirement from international cricket on Saturday evening, bringing an end to one of the most stellar careers the game has ever seen.
MS Dhoni was known for his witty and humorous chats from behind the stumps while keeping to the slower bowlers, and his advice often helped bowlers like Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal pick up crucial wickets in the middle-overs. Ojha recalled one such moment where MS Dhoni was hilarious from behind the stumps while he was bowling to England's Ian Bell in a Test match.
"The best moment with Dhoni was when we were playing against England, MS Dhoni said - ‘Ojha, iski Ghanti baja dhe’ - to Ian Bell. That was hilarious, in a tense moment when you’re focusing hard and he’s trying to calm things down. It was his way of playing cricket - very humorous and witty, without insulting anyone," Ojha told CricketNext.
MS Dhoni was by far the best captain I have played under: Ojha
Pragyan Ojha also stated that Dhoni was the best captain that he played under. Ojha believes his former captain always thought one step ahead of the batsmen and was more often than not spot on in reading the game.
Ojha also revealed that Dhoni used to talk a lot with the bowlers and make them understand what they needed to do but at the same time was ready to listen from them too in case they had anything to offer. He always encouraged the bowlers to think and he would provide the support they needed.
“By far he is one of the best captains I’ve played under because I always believe that a captain has to be a bowler’s captain. This is a batsman oriented game, so the captain plays a very crucial role, always backing you and giving you confidence. The bowler wins you games. It was very simple - he used to talk to you before the game starts, and would exactly understand the situation because he was also a wicketkeeper," Ojha said.
"He was always there next to the batsman and watching the pitch, analysing conditions much better than other captains. He would always guide us - you would have heard on the stump mic of him giving us subtle suggestions," he further added.
MS Dhoni played his last international game for India in the heartbreaking loss to New Zealand in the semifinal of the 2019 Cricket World Cup.