Former Indian skipper MS Dhoni is widely regarded as one of the greatest captains ever and his winning record speaks volumes of his prowess. The wicket-keeper batsman is hailed as ‘captain cool’ courtesy his ability to be calm in the crunchiest of situations. However, there are also some instances when the Ranchi-born cricket lost his cool and reprimanded his fellow teammates. Recently, Indian pacer Mohammed Shami also revealed one such incident while talking to his Bengal teammate Manoj Tiwary in a live Instagram session. MS Dhoni Strategically Reads Game Better Than Ricky Ponting, Says Michael Hussey.
Tiwary initiated the discussion by asking Shami if he ever has been scolded by Dhoni on the cricket field. The right-arm pacer narrated the incidence from the second Test of India’s 2014 Tour of New Zealand, the game in which the former Kiwi captain Brendon McCullum registered his highest Test score of 302 runs and helped his side draw the match.
The talismanic pacer recalled that McCullum was dropped by Virat Kohli off his bowling when he was batting at 14 in the second innings of the match. The mistake proved to be costly for the visitors as the right-handed batsman piled up a scintillating triple ton and guided his side over the line.
“After McCullum was dropped on 14, on that day we thought, it’s alright, we will send him back soon. Then he batted till Lunch again the next day. He continued till tea and the day was about to end so I asked Virat why did you drop him,” Shami told Tiwary.
Shami’s frustration increased even further when the catch of another batsman was dropped off his bowling just before lunch on Day 4. The foiled pacer then bowled a bouncer which went over the wicket-keeper and four byes were added to New Zealand total. On the way of the dressing room, Dhoni came to Shami and said that he understands the frustration of drop catch but he should have bowled the last ball properly.
“McCullum then went on to score 300. On that day before Lunch, another batsman edged one and he was dropped again. I ran in and bowled a bouncer in the second last ball before Lunch. The ball went over Mahi bhai’s head. As we were heading towards the dressing room, Mahi bhai came to me and said I know the catch was dropped but you should have bowled the last ball properly. I told him, the ball slipped out of my hands,” said the 29-year-old cricketer.
“Mahi bhai ne mujhe thode se tight language mein bola, ‘Dekh beta, bohot log aaye mere saamne. Bohot log khel ke chale gaye jhut mat bol.’ He said in a different way but it was with a bit of aggression. He further said, ‘Bete tumhare senior hain tumhare captain hain hum. Ye bewakoof kisi aur ko banana ( Dhoni said in a strict way, I have seen a lot of players come and go, don’t lie to me. He further said, try to fool any other person not me)” Shami added.
However, the star pacer also went to praised Dhoni and called him a brilliant captain. I have made my debut in all three formats under Mahi bhai. You can only keep on learning from him, he’s such a brilliant individual,” said Shami.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 10, 2020 02:41 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).