Updated June 2nd, 2021 at 08:53 IST
Kiran More recalls convincing Sourav Ganguly after being stumped by MS Dhoni's talent
Ex-chairman of selectors Kiran More reveals how he had to convince Sourav Ganguly to allow MS Dhoni don the gloves during the 2003/04 Duleep Trophy final
Advertisement
Former wicket-keeper batsman and chairman of selectors Kiran More has revealed how he had to convince the then Indian skipper and the reigning Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) President Sourav Ganguly to let Mahendra Singh Dhoni keep wickets in a Duleep Trophy final against North Zone during the 2003-04 season instead of regular stumper Deep Dasgupta.
During that period, India had a dearth of wicket-keepers. Players like Ajay Ratra, and, Parthiv Patel were available but they could not succeed in cementing their places in the Playing XI on a regular basis. Meanwhile, the then vice-captain Rahul Dravid used to be a makeshift wicket-keeper before MS Dhoni was groomed and he finally made his way into the national team in December 2004.
'We were desperate for a wicket-keeper': Kiran More
“We were looking for a wicket-keeper batsman. At that time the format was changing and we were looking for a power-hitter, someone who can come at No.6 or 7 and get us quick 40-50 runs. Rahul Dravid played 75 ODI matches as a wicket-keeper and he played the 2003 World Cup as well. So, we were desperate for a wicket-keeper,” said Kiran More while speaking on a YouTube show called 'The Curtly and Karishma'.
“My colleague saw him first, then I went and saw him. I especially flew down and saw him get 130 runs out of the team’s total of 170. He smashed everyone. We wanted him to play in the finals as a wicket-keeper. That’s when we had a lot of debate with Sourav Ganguly and Deep Dasgupta – who played for India then and who was from Calcutta. So, it took about ten days to convince Sourav and his selector to ask Deep Dasgupta to not keep wickets, and to let MS Dhoni keep wickets,”, he added.
“Dhoni kept wickets, he smashed all the bowlers around, and then we sent him to Kenya for the triangular series involving India A, Pakistan A, and Kenya. MS scored about 600 runs and after that rest his history. So you need to give chances to a cricketer, who has something special in him, who looks like a match-winner. He had all the attributes. It was only a matter of time before all of them clicked together. We gambled on the right horse and it paid off. I gave credit to all of the members of that selection committee,” Kiran More further added.
MS Dhoni wicket-keeping stats
MS Dhoni announced his retirement from international cricket on August 15, 2020, at 1929 hrs. But before, hanging up his boots, MSD took Indian cricket to unattained heights with his unique captaincy techniques in an illustrious career that lasted for 16 years.
Mahi has led India to a number of wins with the 2011 World Cup triumph being the pinnacle of success. Apart from his captaincy, he also holds a few records in batting and keeping. MS Dhoni retired with 10,773 runs to his name in ODIs and became one of only 14 batsmen to have ever scored more than 10,000 runs in the 50-overs format.
MS Dhoni also holds the record for inflicting the most stumpings in international cricket. In 350 matches, the Jharkhand cricketer has 123 stumpings to his name and is the only stumper to have inflicted 100 stumpings at the highest level.
Advertisement
Published June 2nd, 2021 at 08:53 IST
Your Voice. Now Direct.
Send us your views, we’ll publish them. This section is moderated.