‘He handled us really well’: How MS Dhoni helped Kuldeep Yadav-Yuzvendra Chahal duo
In a recent interview, India wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav recalled how Dhoni helped him and his fellow spin partner, Yuzvendra Chahal, out during matches from behind the stumps.
Former India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni had a difficult job to pull off. Being the captain, Dhoni had to be completely game aware, set up field, make bowling changes, design strategies, and do all this while standing behind the stumps and watch every delivery like a hawk. And how well did he do that! Dhoni has been one of the most successful captains of India, and he certainly has been one of the best wicketkeepers in the world in the last few years.
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In a recent interview, India wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav recalled how Dhoni helped him and his fellow spin partner, Yuzvendra Chahal, out during matches from behind the stumps.
“Whenever I played with Dhoni, I never felt the absence of my coach, because he would speak to me like one and give me a lot of advice. He would always tell me to focus on spinning the ball, and from behind the wickets, he would release a lot of pressure,” Kuldeep Yadav said in an interview with NDTV.
“Sometimes you are only focused on bowling and not the fielding, so he would set the field from behind the stumps.
“He would tell you the little things about what to do in the game before the match. As a senior player, he has supported me and (Yuzvendra) Chahal a lot and handled us very well. The captain (Virat Kohli) was always there for us but his presence was also very crucial,” Kuldeep added.
The chinaman also recalled an advice received from Anil Kumble before his Test debut. “On the day before my Test debut, he told me at lunch that you have to take five wickets. I couldn’t respond for a few moments but then said I’ll definitely do it,” Kuldeep revealed.