"He would take me off bowling" - Ravichandran Ashwin sheds light on the strict side of captain MS Dhoni 

Recently retired Team India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin reckons MS Dhoni became one of the greatest captains in world cricket because he was a firm believer in doing the basics right. Ashwin added that Dhoni would back the bowler wholeheartedly but also admonish him if he bowled a loose ball to a new batter.

The 38-year-old announced his retirement from international cricket in Brisbane after the third Test of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The Tamil Nadu spinner first flourished under Dhoni's captaincy for Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League and, subsequently, for India as well. The two will reunite at CSK during IPL 2025.

Having played a lot under Dhoni's captaincy for India and at the franchise level, Ashwin feels that most captains fail to do the basics right, which the Indian legend was extremely adept at. Speaking to former England captains Nasser Hussain and Michael Atherton on Sky Sports, Ashwin praised Dhoni and said (quoted by ANI):

"It is a very simple question to answer. In my head, I think he does most of the basic things right, and most of the other captains miss the basic elementary things, which makes the game look much more difficult for them."

The 38-year-old went on to explain how Dhoni gave full freedom to the bowlers but, at the same time, also kept a close check on them. He elaborated:

"He would never, for example, give the bowler the ball. The first thing he would say is to take your field and bowl to the field. He hated the fact when a batter came to bat and you gave a loose delivery, he wouldn't take me off bowling. If I gave two three boundaries in an over, that is well earned.

"If I gave a new batter a ball to cut or drive, he would be livid. He would make me feel my place, and he would take me off bowling. That is a very basic essence of cricket. Over the years, I realized people have forgotten the basics," the off-spinner with 537 Test scalps went on to add.

Ashwin is the third-leading wicket-taker for CSK in T20 cricket. In 121 matches from 2009 to 2015, he claimed 120 scalps at an average of 23.70 and an economy rate of 6.66, with a best of 4-18.

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Ravichandran Ashwin credits Dhoni for Tushar Deshpande's success in IPL 2023

Giving another example of Dhoni's genius as a captain, Ashwin credited the legendary keeper-batter for pacer Tushar Deshpande's success in IPL 2023. Dhoni led CSK to a record-equaling fifth IPL title last season, with Deshpande as the leader of the attack. The right-arm pacer claimed 21 wickets in 16 matches to play a key role in Chennai's triumph. Ashwin explained:

"There are certain facets of the game that don't change, and MS Dhoni keeps it simple on those accounts. Last year in IPL, he got Tushar Despande, and he got the best out of him. I know what exactly MS Dhoni would have told him. He would have told him to get hit on the longer side of the boundary and give me two runs less than you gave last year. That does two things to the bowler. It relieves the pressure, and it makes him think I can get in a very small set of goals."

Apart from leading CSK to five IPL wins, Dhoni also captained India to victory in the 2007 T20 World Cup and the 2011 ODI World Cup. His last ICC triumph as captain came when India lifted the Champions Trophy in 2013.