'That is when Dhoni very smartly...': Ex-IND coach reveals why MS gave up wicketkeeping drills

Ex-IND coach reveals why MS Dhoni gave up wicketkeeping drills

R Sridhar, former fielding coach of India, explained why Mahendra Singh Dhoni stopped doing wicketkeeping drills after eight or nine years of playing for the country. Dhoni has established himself as one of the best wicketkeepers in the history of the game, renowned for lightning-fast stumpings and ability to understand the game. Dhoni has recorded an incredible 829 dismissals as wicketkeeper during his storied international career, which include 634 catches and 195 stumpings.

Dhoni, who now only takes part in the IPL, demonstrated that he is not slowing down even at the age of 44. The former Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain was involved in 11 dismissals (six catches and five stumpings) in IPL 2025.

Sridhar, who has previously worked with Dhoni while serving as India's fielding coach, disclosed that the former captain ceased honing his wicketkeeping techniques when he reached a particular point in his career. “MS Dhoni did not practice wicketkeeping 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. I wouldn’t call it unorthodox but very effective," Sridhar told Cricket.com.

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He emphasised how Dhoni freely admitted that he needed to control his workload while playing in all three forms and switched to quick reaction-based drills rather than the traditional wicketkeeping procedures.

"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. That is when he very smartly decreased the workload as a wicketkeeper. Instead, he did some small reaction drills which kept him sharp and his gloves lightning fast," he added.