Former India fielding coach R Sridhar has made a startling revelation, saying that former India skipper MS Dhoni didn’t practice wicketkeeping after playing eight to nine years of international cricket, because the workload was so much that his fingers were giving up.

While his method was far from conventional, Dhoni went on to establish himself as one of the greatest wicketkeepers of all time. His lightning-quick stumpings, sharp instincts behind the stumps in addition to brilliant game awareness made him the best in the business.

“MS Dhoni didn’t practice wicketkeeping after playing eight or nine years of international cricket. While he was growing up and while he was yet to make a mark in international cricket, let’s say before 2007, before 2005, he worked a lot on his wicketkeeping skills," Sridhar said while speaking to Cricket.com.

“He (Dhoni) had a very good technique; he had a technique of his own. I wouldn’t call it unorthodox, but very effective," Sridhar added.

Sridhar also mentioned that Dhoni recognized the need to manage his workload while playing all three formats.

“He had practised a lot and he self-admittedly said that once he started playing three formats for India, the workload was so much that there was no need for him to practice more because his fingers were taking a beating, collecting those deliveries behind the stumps and throws and everything else," Sridhar stated.

“That is when he (Dhoni) very smartly decreased the workload as a wicketkeeper. Instead, he did some small reaction drills which kept him sharp and his gloves lightning fast," he further remarked.

Dhoni registered a staggering 829 dismissals as a glovesman during his illustrious international career, comprising 634 catches and an unmatched 195 stumpings. At 44, the CSK icon continues to defy age as he finished the IPL 2025 season with six catches and five stumpings.