Kiran More and Nayan Mongia give their views on Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s wicketkeeping and new role as captain
Anand Vasu in Baroda10-Oct-2007
Nayan Mongia feels that Dhoni has made rapid strides as a wicketkeeper since his early struggles in England © AFP
It’s often said that the wicketkeeper sets the standards of fielding for ateam. If that is true, then this Indian team should do well in the comingyears for Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s glovework has been outstanding in recenttimes. It’s premature to suggest that the elevation to captaincy may haveplayed a part in this, but from someone who was seen as a batsman whocould keep wickets adequately, Dhoni has grown into a force behind thestumps.In Baroda, a city that has produced two of the best Indian wicketkeepersof the recent past, there was rich conversation about glovework,especially in the light of Dhoni winning the Man-of-the-Match award in thefourth one-dayer in Chandigarh. “Looking at his percentage of takingcatches it’s better than any of the other keepers we have had recently,”Kiran More, one of the former Indian wicketkeepers from Baroda, told. “He doesn’t miss when the chances come his way. He’sreally good at assessing situations and his temperament is fantastic. Hedoesn’t look good in the conventional sense in that he’s not a stylishwicketkeeper but his temperament under pressure sets him apart.”But it was not long ago that Dhoni was struggling in England, especiallyin the early part of the tour having to contend with the considerable movement after the ball crossed the batsman. This is something all keepers have to adjust to whenplaying in England. The other Baroda wicketkeeper, Nayan Mongia, pointsout that it was a flaw in technique that caused Dhoni problems in England.”He struggled in England because his technique was not right. He washalf-squatting and so could not always gather the ball,” said Mongia, “Butafter that he has done really well. He is improving with every match. Heis watching the ball, staying low and moving with the ball. Hence, hismistakes have come down considerably.”More too concedes that Dhoni struggled in England, but says that was onlyto be expected. “In England people criticised him but you shouldunderstand that wicketkeepers always struggle there,” said More. “To hiscredit Dhoni’s concentration level is very high. He has improved a lot.Look at one-and-a-half years ago and now. Look at his hand position. Hepicks things up quickly.”Mongia, who was an expert at keeping wickets on rank turners and evenunderprepared pitches where Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh made the ballexplode out of the rough, says Dhoni will be tested fully in suchconditions. “It is always difficult to keep in India because the ballkeeps low. But Dhoni is high on confidence and that is helping him dowell,” said Mongia. “When keeping to the pacers, he dives around tocollect the ball. If there’s one area in which he should improve, it is inhis sideways movement. He needs to be on his toes much more. That willgive him a chance to cover much more ground on both sides without needingto dive.”On the issue of leading the side, playing a role with thebat and keeping wickets – and the heavy burden this places on Dhoni -Mongia and More have slightly different takes. “I am worried that hemight have a lot on his hands in the coming days,” Mongia said. “As it is a keeper has toconcentrate more than others and as a captain, he will certainly have alot more to think about.”More struck a more optimistic note. “This guy is a little different. He can take the pressure of doing everything. He can prove lot of pundits wrong,” said More. “Keepingwickets and captaining is always difficult. But he loves thechallenge. That’s what I like most about him. That makes the best ofwicketkeepers. Standing back and waiting for things to happen is nevergood. Dhoni is the kind of guy who will create something and win matches.That’s the difference between Dhoni and other keepers.”
