"We were looking for a wicketkeeper to take responsibility off Dravid" - When Kiran More explained how Dhoni played the 2003-04 Duleep Trophy final
MS Dhoni is regarded as one of the greatest white-ball batters and captains to have played international cricket. But the journey to the top had been rather tough for the Ranchi-born cricketer.
In an interview in September 2022, former chairman of selectors Kiran More revealed several issues cropped up as they looked to fit Dhoni into the East Zone playing XI for the 2003-04 Duleep Trophy final in Mohali against North Zone. However, since India were looking to relieve Rahul Dravid from his keeping duties, all parties came on board to ensure Dhoni played the Duleep Trophy final.
Going down memory lane, More told Sportskeeda’s SK Tales about the efforts behind finding a place for the future Indian superstar in the summit clash of a domestic tournament. He recalled:
“We were looking for a wicketkeeper to take the responsibility off Rahul Dravid. We pushed for him (Dhoni) to keep wickets in the Duleep Trophy final in Chandigarh."
"We spoke to Bengal selectors; there were a lot of issues. In the end, everyone came on the same page. Sourav Ganguly and (Jagmohan) Dalmiya ji and Pranab Roy. Deep (Dasgupta) did not play that match,” the former India stumper added.
Opening the batting, Dhoni was dismissed for 21 in the first innings but followed it up with a breezy 60 off 47 in the second, a knock which included eight fours and a six. He did a decent job behind the stumps as well. Even though East Zone lost the match by 59 runs, the experiment with Dhoni proved significant, keeping the future of Indian cricket in mind.
“We wanted to see Dhoni keeps wickets. Ashish Nehra was bowling and there were a couple of other good fast bowlers in North Zone. He went and smashed 60 runs and he kept wickets decently. He was not outstanding, but he had ideas and a brilliant brain. We then sent him to the Kenya tour. He scored some 400 runs and the rest is history,” More recalled.
Dhoni hammered 440 runs in eight matches during India A’s tour of Kenya in 2004. His stats included two tons and two half-centuries. The keeper-batter made his international debut in an ODI against Bangladesh in Chattogram in December of the same year.
MS Dhoni's splendid record in white-ball cricket for India
Dhoni played 90 Tests, 350 ODIs and 98 T20Is for India. While he had a decent record in Tests, scoring 4,876 runs at an average of 38.09, he flourished as a batter and captain in the limited-overs formats.
The 43-year-old amassed 10,773 runs in ODIs, averaging over 50. As skipper, he led India to victory in the 2011 World Cup and the 2013 Champions Trophy. The keeper-batter also guided the Men in Blue to the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007 in South Africa. He scored 1,617 runs in T20Is at an average of 37.60 and a strike rate of 126.13.