Former India captain MS Dhoni know a thing or two about stumpings. The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) keeper holds the world record for most number of stumpings in international cricket with 195 in 538 matches. Former Sri Lanka wicketkeeper Kumar Sangakkara is in distant second place with 139 stumpings.
But when it comes to rules and regulations related to stumpings in cricket, even the great MS Dhoni has to stay ‘mum’ when it comes to his wife Sakshi Dhoni. In a hilarious video which went viral on social media, Dhoni recounted an incident when he was ‘schooled’ by his wife Sakshi on the ‘rules of cricket’.
“We were watching a game, probably it was an ODI. Usually me and Sakshi don’t talk about cricket. The bowler bowled a wide ball but the batter stepped out and was stumped. While the umpires were reviewing it, my wife said, ‘It’s not out’. When Sakshi said that the batter had started walking off,” Dhoni recounted while speaking at an event.
“She again said, ‘You just see, they will call him back. You cannot get stumped on a wide ball’. I said it is possible to get a batter stumped out on a wide ball, it can’t be done off a no-ball. She was like, ‘You don’t know anything. You just wait, the umpires will call him back’.
“Meanwhile, the batter was close to the dugout already. When the umpires finally gave the batter out and the next man walked in, she said, ‘There is something wrong’,” he added with a huge smile.
Meanwhile, Dhoni almost confirmed that he will be available to turn out for yet another season in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Franchises must submit their retained player lists by October 31 ahead of the mega auction. Dhoni could be retained by CSK as an uncapped player this year due to the reintroduction of a rule allowing players retired from international cricket for five years to be classified as uncapped.
“I just want to enjoy whatever last few years of cricket I’m able to play,” Dhoni said at a promotional event held in Goa last week.
“Like how during our childhood we used to go out and play at 4 (pm), just enjoying the game. But when you play professional sport it becomes difficult to enjoy the game just like a game. So what I want to do is, there are emotions and commitments, but I want to enjoy the game for the next few years.”
Last week, CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan had also said that he is hopeful of Dhoni being part of the upcoming season. Dhoni, who underwent left knee surgery in 2023, batted lower down the order during the 2024 IPL edition. The former India skipper explained that this decision was primarily to provide game-time to aspiring Indian players ahead of the T20 World Cup 2024.
“My thinking was simple, if others are doing their job well why do I need to come up the order,” Dhoni said.
“If you’re talking about last year (season) specifically, the T20 World Cup squad was going to be announced soon. So we have to give people who are fighting for a spot a chance. In our team (CSK) we had a few, (Ravindra) Jadeja was there, Shivam Dube was there so you give them an opportunity to prove themselves to get into the Indian team. There was nothing in it for me, no selection and other things. So I’m good behind (playing down the order) and my team was happy with what I was doing.”
