Team India's wicketkeeping prowess has been one of the important reasons behind the side's continual success across all formats of the game. While MS Dhoni has undoubtedly been a towering figure – not only as a wicketkeeper but also as a captain, his contemporary Dinesh Karthik, as well as successors Wriddhiman Saha and Rishabh Pant, have been an important part of the Team India's XIs across formats.
While Pant remains India's first-choice keeper across formats, Saha was immense for India after MS Dhoni retired from Tests in 2014. The senior Indian keeper also played a key role in the recently-concluded Test series against New Zealand, which India won 1-0.
Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who has played with all the three keepers – either with India or with Tamil Nadu – has now selected the one keeper he prefers behind the stumps while bowling. Reacting to a fan's question on his official YouTube profile where he was asked to select the best between Dhoni, Saha, and Karthik Ashwin said Dhoni was “exceptional” against spin, adding that he has “hardly seen him miss anything.”
“Dhoni, Saha and DK - in that order, you can take the answer. It is very difficult to separate them behind the stumps,” Ashwin said.
"I've played a lot of cricket with Dinesh in Tamil Nadu. But if I've to pick one.. I think some really really tough dismissals have been made look easy just the man behind the stumps (MS Dhoni).
“There's this one dismissal of Ed Cowan in Chennai on Day 1 where he steps out and gets stump. The ball didn't turn but it bounced, and MS Dhoni collected the ball. I've hardly seen him miss anything, be it stumping or run-out catches. He's one of the most exceptional keepers against spin. Saha is not far behind either.”
{{/usCountry}}“There's this one dismissal of Ed Cowan in Chennai on Day 1 where he steps out and gets stump. The ball didn't turn but it bounced, and MS Dhoni collected the ball. I've hardly seen him miss anything, be it stumping or run-out catches. He's one of the most exceptional keepers against spin. Saha is not far behind either.”
{{/usCountry}}Dhoni retired from international cricket in 2020 but continues to play in the Indian Premier League. Wriddhiman Saha and Rishabh Pant, meanwhile, are a part of the Indian team for the upcoming Test tour of South Africa. Dinesh Karthik is currently not a part of the international setup, having last appeared for India in 2019.