Mumbai: Team India’s wicketkeeper-batsman Mahendra Singh Dhoni is always known for his wonderful gestures, on and off the field, and also how he has become an inspiration for young cricketing talents.
India’s former captain recently became the first wicketkeeper to celebrate 100 stumpings in One Day International (ODI) cricket, after he got out Sri Lanka’s Akila Dananjaya in the final ODI during their recent tour of the island nation.
The 36-year-old cricketer from Jharkhand, who has led his team to all ICC trophies recently revealed a secret behind handing out the trophy to youngsters after every series win when Dhoni was captain.
“It’s just that, if there is any youngster in the team who has performed well in the series and you hand him over the trophy, it works as an appraisal for him. You are appreciating what he has done. It gives them a lot of confidence,” he was quoted saying to Aaj Tak.
“At the end of the day, we have won the trophy. It doesn’t matter who holds it. But if I hand it over to some youngster and I’m getting benefitted that he could perform better in future by this gesture then it’s a win-win situation for us,” he added.
Current captain Virat Kohli took over the captaincy role from Dhoni in early 2017, and has enjoyed a successful stint so far, leading India to the ICC Champions Trophy final against Pakistan, and completing a dominating performance over Sri Lanka in August.
Recently, Virat Kohli and co also completed an ODI series win (4-1) over Australia at home, while the three-match T20 series ended in a 1-1 draw, with the third match being washed out.
Kohli will once again lead the Men in Blue when they face Kane Williamson-led New Zealand in a three-match ODI series, with the first ODI here at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday. The ODI series will be followed by a three-match T20 series.
