Balancing his attacking style with greater understanding of situations and intelligent rotation of strike didn't come naturally to MS Dhoni, it was all learnt.
Former India batsman and assistant coach, Sanjay Bangar, recalled how Dhoni, now himself an ex-international, used to frequently remind himself the need to curb his aggressive instinct in order to bat deeper into the innings for the betterment of the team in limited-overs cricket, especially ODIs.
"I came to know recently as to how - in his formative years, because he is such a hitter of the ball, has that natural ability to clear - Dhoni curbed his natural instinct. He used to write on his thigh pad - 1, 2 - Tick Tick and 4, 6 - Cross Cross," Bangar said on Star Sports.
"So every time he would go out to bat, and he’d be putting on his thigh pad, he’d probably have a look at that. It would remind him that he has to follow a process. And that is how by running those one and two he became such a great finisher."
"Most finishers in world cricket have realised the importance of singles, doubles. You look at Michael Bevan, look at MS Dhoni. They have this thing in common, which helps them win cricket matches. It’s not those fours and sixes. And that is the process that MS Dhoni follows," he added.
However, slowing up reflexes have held the 39-year-old Dhoni back in his first assignment since last year's World Cup, as he has struggled for form in this year's Indian Premier League (IPL) in UAE. The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) skipper has managed just 164 runs in ten innings at a strike-rate of 125.19.
"What I have seen so far of MS Dhoni in this season is that he’s stopped doing his pre-delivery movements," said Bangar.
"Because of that he’s slightly late on the ball and when you’re 38-39, you have to give that extra bit of time when you’re playing pace bowlers in excess of 140-145."
"If he starts getting that extra split of a second again, the ball will start connecting the middle of his bat," he added.
