Whenever a successful wicketkeeper, successful captain or successful batsman is mentioned in the history of Indian cricket, then you have to mention the name of the great Mahendra Singh Dhoni (MS Dhoni). Under his captaincy, India has won big titles, the likes of ODI World Cup, T20 World Cup and Champions Trophy. He is also the first captain to achieve such record.
Initially, Dhoni used to bat with an unusual and aggressive style, but with experience, he changed his unique style. With increasing age, his agility kept on increasing behind the wicket. Even today there is hardly any agile wicketkeeper like Dhoni.
MS Dhoni has played 93 T20 matches so far. He took 87 T20I wickets in his career, including 54 catches and 33 stumpings. He has taken maximum 5 catches in an innings. Dhoni also captained in 72 T20I matches and also led the team to victory in 42 matches.
Dhoni’s record as captain is not only good for his leadership skill, he is also renowned for getting the best out of the players. There are players who have gone to an extra level under Dhoni’s captaincy.
Ravichandran Ashwin
Ravichandran Ashwin is an excellent right arm off spin bowler. He has made up for the lack of Harbhajan Singh in the Indian team. He has many variations to his bowling arsenal, of which the carrom ball is the main one. Ashwin made his debut in T20I cricket against Zimbabwe on 12 June 2010. He has thus far played 51 T20I matches for India, in which he has taken 61 wickets. Ashwin really got to his best under Dhoni and he is still India’s one of the best spin bowler.
Ashish Nehra
Left arm fast bowler Ashish Nehra made his T20I debut against Sri Lanka on 9th of December 2009. Nehra took 34 wickets in 27 matches at an average of 22.29. His best performance was 3 for 19 against Afghanistan. Nehra really became India’s prime left-arm pacer alongside Zaheer Khan and became his rightful replacement for couple of years.
Yuvraj Singh
Yuvraj Singh is known more for his batting, but he can also bowl useful bowling in times when needed. He made his T20I debut on 13 September 2007 against Scotland. He took 28 wickets in 31 innings of his 58 matches. His best bowling performance was taking 3 wickets for 17 runs. He was more handy with the ball under the guidance of the captain cool.
Yuzvendra Chahal
Yuzvendra Chahal is a right arm leg break bowler. He made his T20I debut on 18th June 2016 against Zimbabwe. He has taken 166 wickets in his 131 matches. Yuzvendra Chahal was at his level best and was one of the best spin bowler under Dhoni’s captaincy. A big proof which is how big a downfall we saw after Dhoni retired, but he is now back to usual self.
Kuldeep Yadav
Chinaman spin bowler Kuldeep Yadav made his T20I debut in the year 2017. He has thus far played 24 T20I matches and has taken 41 wickets. But he was at his best under MS Dhoni’s captaincy, who played an instrumental role in his success. But, just like Chahal, he felt the absence of MS Dhoni when he retired.
