"MS Dhoni didn't practice wicket-keeping.." Former India fielding coach R Sridhar makes massive revelation

R Sridhar said that MS Dhoni stopped wicket-keeping practice after 8-9 years in international cricket.

R Sridhar, former fielding coach of Indian Cricket Team, has revealed that MS Dhoni did not practice wicket-keeping after first eight-nine years in international cricket. The former Indian skipper is considered one of the greatest wicket-keeper batsmen to ever play for India.

During his international career, Dhoni took 634 catches and executed 195 stumpings as a wicket-keeper across formats. Dhoni made his international debut in 2004 and became the captain of the side across all three formats in a few years.

Dhoni, often regarded as the greatest captain of India, led the team to three white-ball ICC titles. Under his captaincy, India won the inaugural edition of the ICC T20 World Cup in 2007, ICC Cricket World Cup in 2011, and ICC Champions Trophy in 2013. He announced his retirement from international cricket in 2020.

MS Dhoni did not practice wicket-keeping after playing eight or nine years of international cricket: R Sridhar

During a chat with Cricket.com, former India fielding coach R Sridhar revealed that Dhoni stopped wicket-keeping practice after eight or nine years in international cricket. He also said the Indian legend worked a lot on his wicket-keeping skills before 2007.

“MS Dhoni did not practice wicket-keeping after playing eight or nine years of international cricket. While he was growing up, and while he was yet to make a mark in international cricket, let’s say before 2007, before 2005, he worked a lot on his wicketkeeping skills. He had a very good technique; he had a technique of his own,” he said.

Sridhar also revealed that Dhoni once told him that he had too much workload by playing for India in all three formats. Hence, he reduced his workload by skipping wicket-keeping practice and instead engaged in some small drills.

“He had practiced a lot, and he self-admittedly said that once he started playing three formats for India, the workload was so much that there was no need for him to practice more because his fingers were taking a beating, collecting those deliveries behind the stumps and throws, and everything else,” he said.

“That is when he very smartly decreased the workload as a wicket-keeper. Instead, he did some small reaction drills which kept him sharp and his gloves lightning fast,” Sridhar added.

Meanwhile, Dhoni was last seen in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, where he captained Chennai Super Kings (CSK) after regular captain Ruturaj Gaikwad was ruled out of the tournament midway due to an injury. The Men in Yellow produced a dismal show in the league, winning just four games and losing 10 matches out of 14 clashes.

With eight points, they finished at last spot in the points table. At a strike rate of 135.17, Dhoni scored 196 runs in 14 games in the tournament.

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