“At that time I used to bowl” – MS Dhoni revisits his school days in podcast interview

In a podcast with YouTuber Raj Shamani, former India skipper MS Dhoni revealed that he used to bowl during his school days. Dhoni also touched upon his early playing days, explaining how cricket was for him back in the day.

Dhoni claimed that he never thought he would represent India when he began playing the sport. He said (via NDTV Cricket):

"Never thought I would play for the country. I used to live in Ranchi. Earlier it was Bihar, now it is Jharkhand. There is no history of cricket career in our side. When I was in school, I never thought that I would play for India. When we were in school, we used to play with tennis ball and at that time I used to bowl."

Dhoni further added:

"At that time, I was very young and skinny. Then I was told to do wicketkeeping... I always used to play cricket against people who were senior to me. There were very few boys of my age who played cricket. So playing cricket with people senior to me was very important for me. Playing with seniors helped me. I did nothing else apart from that. I was very scared of my father. He was always punctual. I am also like my father."

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MS Dhoni has bowled 22 overs in his international career

Known for quick stumping, reliable catches, and closing games out successfully, Dhoni has traded the gloves on the odd occasion to roll his arm. Bowling medium pace, the 43-year-old sent down six overs in his ODI career, picking up a wicket in the process of West Indian batter Travis Dowlin.

Moreover, Dhoni has bowled 16 overs in Test cricket but doesn't have a wicket to his name. Notably, the 43-year-old had former England batter Kevin Pietersen caught behind in 2011. The on-field umpires had declared Pietersen out, but the batter sent the decision for a review, and the call was overturned.