‘Oh man! What a mind’: IPL star reveals MS Dhoni’s unusual tactics to triumph over opponents

Venkatesh Iyer said that once playing against CSK, MS Dhoni made some changes to the field setting, and on the next ball, his partner was caught out in the same fielding positions that MS Dhoni just changed. He was astonished to realize the mental superiority of MS Dhoni.

“I and one more guy was batting. There were two fielders on the off-side – a short third man and covers. Everything was fine before he just called a fielder and placed it on the other side. The very next ball went the exact same way and he was out-caught. He could have had some bad luck too but I was wondering ‘Why did it have to be off the very next ball? It could have happened 3-4 deliveries later, right?’ Suddenly it felt ‘Oh man! What a mind this guy has,” Venkatesh Iyer said.

Unusual fielding positions

While sharing another instance Venkatesh Iyer said that once he played a shot and was dismissed at short third man. But, while walking back to the pavilion he realized that the fielder was not in the right position and the position was not a usual fielding position. He later asked MS Dhoni about the same and he said he posted the fielder on the basis of how the ball was leaving the bat.

“Just this year, I was batting and I played a shot and got out at short third man. I turned around and saw ‘He is standing wrong. That’s not where a fielder stands. He is standing in the wrong position; he should be more to the right. Then I realized ‘Oh’. I asked him after the match, ‘Bhaiyya, kyu?’ (Why?) He said the way the ball was leaving my bat; the fielders should be a lot fine. Then I was like ‘WOW! I never even thought like that. To think so quickly then and there, and to understand the angle – cricket is all about angles – to read it is I think his biggest strength,” the all-rounder concluded.

Updated: 01 Jul 2023, 04:31 PM IST