MS Dhoni is regarded as one of the best custodians when it comes to wicketkeeping. The former India skipper, who led the country to two world titles, has set a benchmark with his sharp glovework, also inspiring youngsters to emulate his style while operating behind the stumps.
There have been many such attempts and the latest one was pulled by Kusal Mendis in the Lanka Premier League (LPL) 2023 between Dambulla Aura and Galle Titans, which the former won by seven wickets.
The incident took place in the final over of the Galle innings as Mendis quickly pounced on a wayward throw and ran-out Lahiru Samarakoon with a “Dhoni-esque” effort.
Samarakoon lost his wicket while trying to steal a double after flicking a low fulltoss by Binura Fernando towards square leg. However, he was outdone by the sharp skills of Mendis, who collected a wayward throw on the bounce and knocked the stumps with an underarm throw despite facing it sideways.
Mendis' commendable effort saw Samarakoon get out for 6(10) as Titans managed a paltry 133/9 in 20 overs after being asked to bat first. Mendis also had a good outing behind the stumps as he was part of three dismissals – one stumping, two run-outs – in total.
{{/usCountry}}Mendis' commendable effort saw Samarakoon get out for 6(10) as Titans managed a paltry 133/9 in 20 overs after being asked to bat first. Mendis also had a good outing behind the stumps as he was part of three dismissals – one stumping, two run-outs – in total.
{{/usCountry}}In response Dambulla completed the run-chase comfortably in 17.4 overs and won the match by seven wickets. Mendis, who walked out to open the Dambulla innings, scored 18 off 24 balls, featuring just one boundary.
What makes Dhoni one of the best in business
Apart from being a shrewd captain, Dhoni on multiple occasions has single-handedly turned the course of the game with his sharp glovework. The famous sprint to run-out Mustafizur Rahman in the final ball at the T20 World Cup 2016 is one of the many examples. He is also a master at executing lightning quick stumpings, with the most recent coming in the IPL final between Chennai Super Kings and Gujarat Titans. Then Dhoni had whipped the bails in less than a second off Ravindra Jadeja's bowling to dismiss Shubman Gill, affirming his position at the head of the table.
If we look at his stats, Dhoni is third in the list among the wicketkeepers with the highest number of dismissals. The former India captain has been part of 829 international dismissals from 538 matches, with Mark Boucher and Adam Gilchrist placed above him.
Dhoni rules the chart in IPL with 180 dismissals from 250 encounters.