Why Ms Dhoni stopped doing guiches practices

India’s fielding coach from August 2014 to November 2021, R Sridhar, has given insight into how MS Dhoni approached wicketkeeping during his Team India days.

Sridhar, who joined the National Cricket Academy (now Centre of Excellence) in 2011, saw Dhoni from up close and revealed that he didn’t do wicketkeeping practice for more than a decade before his international retirement in 2020.

Dhoni’s decision to stop wicketkeeping practice

The fielding coach stated that Dhoni, who had a wicketkeeping technique of his own, didn’t want to put extra pressure on his body and especially his finger. By 2007, he had become a regular across formats. By the end of 2008, he was also India’s all-format captain.

“MS Dhoni didn’t practice wicketkeeping after playing 8 or 9 years of international cricket. While he was growing up and had yet to make a mark before 2007 or 2005, he worked a lot on his wicketkeeping skills. He had a very good technique of his own. It was very effective, and he had practiced a lot,” Sridhar told cricket.com.

The reputed coach stated that Dhoni himself admitted this. However, it wasn’t like he didn’t practice at all. He religiously did reaction drills, which meant that he remained sharp behind the stumps at all times, especially to spinners.

“He self-admittedly said that once he started playing 3 formats for India, the workload was so much that there was no need for him to practice more, as his fingers were taking a beating. That’s when he very smartly decreased the workload as a wicketkeeper; instead, he did some reaction drills, which kept him sharp and kept his gloves lightning fast. ‘Not practicing’ is not the right word, but he papered down because he knew the workload was very high,” he added.

It’s safe to assume that since his international retirement in 2020, Dhoni has probably upped his wicketkeeping practice. In order to keep himself sharp for the Indian Premier League, the wicketkeeper has to be on his toes, literally and figuratively.