R Ashwin Reveals The Secret Of MS Dhoni’s Success, Tells How He Handled His Bowlers

The former Indian skipper MS Dhoni began his international career as a powerful top-order batter and retired as one of the most celebrated captains in cricket history.

Renowned as one of the greatest finishers in the game, Dhoni consistently demonstrated exceptional tactical acumen. His numerous trophies as captain stand as a testament to his unparalleled leadership.

Ravichandran Ashwin, one of the long-time teammates of Mahi in both the Indian national team and the IPL, recently shared an insight into Dhoni’s unique leadership style. According to Ashwin, Mahi’s ability to “stick to the basics” sets him apart from other captains.

During an interaction, Ravichandran Ashwin said, “It’s a very simple question to answer in my head. He (Dhoni) does most basic things right, and most other captains miss the basic elementary things. It makes the game look much more difficult for them.”

R Ashwin explained how Dhoni interacts with bowlers, emphasising simplicity and accountability. Dhoni’s instructions are clear- bowl according to the set fielding strategy. However, he demands precision, delivering loose balls often invites his stern feedback.

Ashwin said, “He (Dhoni) would never, for example, if he gave the ball to the bowler, the first thing he would say, ‘take your field and bowl to the field’. He hated that when a batter came to bat, and you would bowl a loose delivery.”

Ashwin further added, “He would never take me off the bowling if there were 2-3 boundaries if they were well earned. If I gave a batter a ball to cut or drive when he came out to bat, he would be livid. He would make me feel my place and take me off the bowling. And that’s a very basic essence of cricket, and over the years, I have realised that people have forgotten the basics. MS Dhoni keeps it very simple on those accounts.”

Ashwin illustrated Dhoni’s leadership with an example from the IPL 2023 season. Under Dhoni’s guidance, pacer Tushar Deshpande emerged as Chennai Super Kings’ leading wicket-taker, contributing significantly to the team’s record-equaling fifth championship title. Dhoni’s approach of empowering players while maintaining high standards proved instrumental in Deshpande’s standout performance.

Ashwin stated, “In last year’s IPL, he has got Tushar Deshpande, and he got the best out of him, and people spoke about it. I know what exactly MS Dhoni would have told him, he would have told him, ‘get hit on the longer side of the boundary, give me two less runs than the last game’. That does two things to the bowler, releases the pressure and makes him think how better can I get on small set of goals. He does basic things very well day in and day out, compared to the others.”

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So, the mantra is “stick to the basics”.

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