Former Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain MS Dhoni said that he believes he adds no value to the team in the field if he is not keeping wickets. The veteran also shared the same ahead of his 18th IPL season and 16th with CSK in the ongoing 2025 IPL edition as well. However, Dhoni holds the IPL record for most wicketkeeping dismissals with 191 in 265 matches.
In an interview with JioStar ahead of the 2025 IPL season, Dhoni said [Via India Today]: “It’s a challenge, you know, and that’s what makes it interesting and also the fact that if I’m not wicketkeeping, I think I’m useless on the field. Because that’s where I read the game in the best possible manner. I have to be really close to the game, for the angles, to see how the bowler is bowling, how the wicket is behaving. What is the change.”
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“In the first six overs with the new ball, the wicket behaves differently. After that, has it changed or it remains the same, all these things, when I’m right behind the stump, I’m in a better position to judge what really is happening and then to convey to the captain as to this is what is happening, whether it’s a bad delivery that has gone for a 6 or it’s a good delivery that the batsman has hit for a 6. I can differentiate between the two when I’m behind the stumps,” he again shared.
However, MS Dhoni showed his stunning form in the last IPL season in a game against the Gujarat Titans (GT), calling it a fluke. He dove full length to his right to dismiss Vijay Shankar in CSK’s 63-run win over GT as well.
Reacting to a clip of the catch in his interview with JioStar, MS Dhoni said: “It’s a fluke. If you closely monitor it, it feels like a sack of rice falling from the back of a truck. The whole thing is if we can reach with two hands, I’ve always been a fan of trying to take catches with two hands, and it helps. So it always feels good if you can contribute like this. But I’m not somebody who you would see dive around a lot or to take those, you know, great catches, one-handed great catches. I’m quite a safe keeper. I like to keep it that.”
