Just-retired Indian great MS Dhoni is widely regarded as one of the shrewd thinkers of the game. He has plotted the dismissal of some of the world’s top batsmen by guiding bowlers from behind the stumps.
Former England spinner Monty Panesar, who has played 11 Tests and 6 ODIs against India, recently touched upon the same topic, saying he used to understand every single word that Dhoni was saying in Hindi as part of his instructions.
“Dhoni was a calm guy. He wouldn't say much. I think he was a great judge of nonverbal communication. He was just a great reader of things. You go and say something, he won't reply but be ready when he will come to bat or set a field for you,” Monty told Timesofindia.com in an exclusive interview.
“I remember his tips to the bowlers, specially spinners from behind the stumps. ' Abhi thodi wide ball daalo. Abhi thoda seedha stumps pe rakho. Ye cross line khelne waala hai, seedha daalo. Ye deep mid-wicket pe chakka marega, thoda wide rakhna' (Bowl a little wide now. Now bowl straight on the stumps. He is going to play across the line, so bowl straight. He will try for a six over mid wicket, so bowl a little wide),” he recalled.
“I can speak hindi and Punjabi to a great extent. MSD thought I didn’t understand. I heard everything, but I also acted like MSD, as if I didn't hear anything. I heard and (then) acted as if I didn't hear anything. But I knew everything,” Panesar, whose father migrated from Punjab to Luton in England in 1979, further remarked.
“And believe me, he (Dhoni) has done this a number of times and got wickets. And that's what I love about MS Dhoni and I am proud that I have played against him,” the left-arm spinner, who played 50 Tests and 26 ODIs for England, continued.
MS Dhoni’s contribution to Indian cricket is surreal, to say the least. The Men in Blue tasted huge success under his leadership, winning the 2007 World T20, 2011 Cricket World Cup and 2013 Champions Trophy. He also led the team to pinnacle in Test cricket.
As a batsman, Dhoni transformed himself into one of the greatest finishers of the game. He represented the country in 90 Tests, 350 ODIs and 98 T20Is, aggregating more than 17000 international runs including 16 centuries.
The former India skipper also has 634 catches and 195 stumpings (world record) to his name across three formats.
Hailing Dhoni as a great mind reader, Monty said: “He (Dhoni) was very good at reading other people, but people couldn't read him. That was another strength. You will never be able to know what is going on in Dhoni's mind when he is at the crease and India need 15 runs per over in the last three overs. And he gets it. How does he do it? That's MSD's secret. It was the captaincy that made it harder to read him, because he was able to focus his energy on the team, on the other players, how to get the best out of so many different individuals, which meant that the attention wasn't on him. It was on the team and his players.”
Sharing his favourite Dhoni moment, Panesar said: “My favorite moment with Dhoni was in Mumbai when I missed his catch. It landed 10 meters on my right, went through the sun and I completely misjudged it. And then two balls later, I caught him. So, that's cricket for you. One minute you're zero, next minute you are a hero. He (Dhoni) will always be a hero for the nation.”
