Latham was out on the very next ball: Yuzvendra Chahal narrates instances of MS Dhoni outfoxing batsmen

Under Virat Kohli’s captaincy, the rise of Chahal and Kuldeep has been seen in limited-overs cricket. The wrist-spinners have been successful in bamboozling the batsmen with their variations. When they have faced difficulties, Chahal and Kuldeep have turned towards Dhoni for advice.

Most of the cricket fans know about the impact Mahendra Singh Dhoni has on the bowlers. While standing behind the wickets, Dhoni is able to analyse the game on a real-time basis while providing valuable advice to the bowlers. Many players have revealed about the impact Dhoni has during the game as he strategises plans to dismiss the opposing batsmen.

Under Virat Kohli’s captaincy, the rise of Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav has been seen in limited-overs cricket. The wrist-spinners have been successful in bamboozling the batsmen with their variations. However when they have faced difficulties, Chahal and Kuldeep have turned towards Dhoni for advice.

TOPICS | MS Dhoni England vs West Indies

Chahal recently talked about how Dhoni puts his hands around his shoulders and tells him what to do in order to remove the opposing batsmen.

“Mahi bhai is one the best and greatest players India has produced. He has helped me and Kuldeep during matches. Some times, a batsman hits me for boundaries and then he comes, puts his hands around my shoulder and says ‘isko googly daal, ye nahi khel payega’ (Bowl him a googly, he will not be able to play). Tips from him really works well in the team’s favour,” Chahal told timesofindia.com.

“This has happened so many times. In South Africa, when I took my first five-for. JP Duminy was batting at that time. I wanted to dismiss him. Mahi bhai came to me and said ‘isko seedha stump to stump daal’ (Just bowl straight to him - stump to stump). He went back behind the stumps and shouted again - ‘tilli, isko dande pe hi rakhna’ (Just bowl straight to him). I followed his instructions. Duminy tried to sweep but got out lbw,” recalled Chahal.

Chahal then narrated another incident where Dhoni’s advice helped him to dismiss New Zealand batsman Tom Latham.

“In New Zealand, Tom Latham was batting and was continuously playing sweep shots. I tried googlies and leg spins but those didn’t work out against him. He was hitting me for boundaries. I was really disappointed. Mahi bhai came to me and said ‘line change mat karna, isko aage daal aur stumps pe rakhna’ (Don’t change your line. Pitch the ball up to him and keep it on the stumps). Latham was out off the very next ball. I hugged Mahi bhai after that dismissal,” the 29-year-old told explained.