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MS Dhoni has kickstarted his preparations for IPL 2023, having arrived in Chennai for a training camp with the Chennai Super Kings. Captain Cool is set to lead the four-time champions again in the new season, which will be played in the home-and-away format for the first time since 2019.
It is well-known that even though MSD is a wicket-keeper, he loves bowling in the nets. It was no different at the start of his camp at the Super Kings as a video of him rolling his arm over went viral on the internet.
Mind you, Dhoni isn't completely averse to it, having chanced his arm on the odd occasion in international cricket. Not always has it been successful, but he sure became the talk of the town each time.
Here, we look at three instances of Dhoni grabbing headlines for his bowling:
#1 Dhoni's only international wicket in the Champions Trophy 2009
An extremely famous moment saw Dhoni bag his only international wicket during the ICC Champions Trophy 2009. In the game against the West Indies, India found themselves to be a seamer short, and with Dinesh Karthik available to don the gloves, the skipper brought himself on with the ball.
While a couple of short deliveries were dispatched to the fence, he soon castled Travis Dowlin with a sharp in-decker, sending the entire Indian team into a joyous celebration. The skipper bowled just two overs and India went on to register a comfortable win, although it wasn't enough to avoid elimination.
The moment remains popular until today, although MSD did come close to picking up another wicket thereafter.
#2 Lord's Test against England, 2011
India were the world's top-ranked Test team when they arrived in England for a four-match Test series in 2011. With Zaheer Khan pulling up with an injury on the opening day, the visitors were left with just three frontline bowlers.
With no option left, Dhoni handed the gloves to Rahul Dravid and decided to roll his arm over. He generated prodigious movement and also had a decision for caught-behind go his way, only for DRS to give Kevin Pietersen a reprieve.
That the wicket-keeper captain had to bring himself on to bowl with minimal options to turn to against a red-hot batting lineup generated a lot of buzz. In a hilarious moment during the IPL a few years later, Dhoni trolled Pietersen, who was on commentary duty, that he was still his first Test wicket.
#3 Semifinal of the Champions Trophy 2013
India took on Sri Lanka in the semifinals of the ICC Champions Trophy in Cardiff in 2013. Under overcast conditions, the seamers had the Lankan batters dancing to their tunes. That prompted Dhoni to have a go at them himself, with Karthik taking over wicket-keeping duties.
The move worked a charm...well, nearly! Mahela Jayawardene was adjudged LBW off the second ball MSD sent down, only for a successful review to overturn it owing to an inside edge. The Indian captain bowled three overs for twelve runs before he turned to his regular bowlers again.
India coasted home by seven wickets and scripted a thrilling five-run victory in a rain-curtailed final against England to lift the Champions Trophy.
Can 'Thala' inspire CSK to their fifth IPL title in 2023? Let us know in the comments section below!
Also read: A year since his departure, Shane Warne's aura remains a void impossible to fill
