Muttiah Muralitharan Lavishes Praises On MS Dhoni, The Captain

Former Sri Lankan spin legend Muttiah Muralitharan has pointed out the qualities that make MS Dhoni one of the successful captains. Muttiah Muralitharan was part of Chennai Super Kings in the first three seasons of the IPL under the leadership of MS Dhoni, a team that bagged the title in 2010.

In an interaction with Ravichandran Ashwin over his Youtube channel, the retired spinner recounted his IPL experiences.

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Muttiah Muralitharan played in the IPL for six years for three franchises, namely Chennai Super Kings, Kochi Tuskers Kerala, and Royal Challengers Bangalore.

The 2010 season was arguably his best for the yellow army in which the offie snapped 15 wickets in 12 games at 21.93. Muralitharan was the seventh-highest wicket-taker in the tournament as the CSK lifted the title for the first time.

The 132-Test veteran revealed that MS Dhoni would applaud the bowler even if he gets hit for a six off a good delivery. The keeper-batsman would admit that batsmen too possess the talent.

“He will clap if a good ball gets hit for a six. He will tell the bowler that it’s a good ball even if the batsman had hit you for a six. Batsmen too have the talent,” Muralitharan told Ashwin.

Instead of reprimanding the bowler in public, the captain would talk to the bowler alone and underline the strategy needed to deploy next. Muralitharan stated that it is what makes him a successful captain.

“So with those kinds of appreciations, he will call you alone to tell you what’s needed, instead of doing it in public. Because of those qualities, he has been a successful captain,” the 48-year old stated.

His theories are very nice to see: Muttiah Muralitharan

Muttiah Muralitharan recalled the time when a young MS Dhoni guided the Indian team to the 2007 T20 World Cup in South Africa. The highest wicket-taker in Test and ODI cricket said that he would hand the ball to the bowler and ask him to set the field. If it does not work, Dhoni would give him another chance.

“Definitely he was a young captain, I would say. It was in the 2007 World Cup that he captained and won. But his theories are very nice to see. Because he will give the ball to the bowler and tell him to set the field and bowl. If it wasn’t working, then he would ask them to give a chance to the field he sets,” the Kandy-born spinner added.

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