Indian Umpire's Honest Take on MS Dhoni's Game Awareness: Being Right Not Always the Case

Mahendra Singh Dhoni has been recognized as one of the most astute minds in the world of cricket. His exceptional game awareness has been instrumental in guiding his team through tough decision-making moments. As captain, Dhoni was praised for his strategic field placements and effective use of the Decision Review System (DRS), which often turned the tide in favor of his team. Even after stepping down as captain, Dhoni continued to offer valuable insights to his successors, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, especially when it came to crucial DRS calls. His presence behind the stumps was a reassuring sight for both captains, as they knew they could rely on Dhoni's expertise to help them make the right decisions on the field.

The cricket fans started referring DRS - Decision Review System to Dhoni Review System after the legendary wicketkeeper's incredible success rate with the rule recently.

Dhoni has often forced the umpire to change their decision via DRS on the cricket field. Veteran umpire Anil Chaudhary admitted that the CSK wicketkeeper is close to accuracy, but this has not always been the case.

“That’s not the case always (Dhoni being right), sometimes it’s the other way around, but he’s close to accuracy. He has a lot of idea about the game,” umpire Chaudhary told Shubhankar Mishra on his YouTube channel.

He further named young India wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant as another glovesman who has improved his game awareness and DRS' decision-making from his earlier days.

“Rishabh Pant has also improved a lot from earlier days. It’s all about experience – you look at the replays and then reassess your calls," he added.

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Chaudhary asserted that the wicketkeeper's movement impacted the umpires' decision-making.

"Wicketkeeper has got the best spot to keep an eye, they’re still and can follow the ball’s trajectory. In fact, best umpires sometimes base their decisions on the movement of wicketkeepers because they follow the ball,” he said.

Meanwhile, he also made a bold claim that Dhoni has the attributes to become a good umpire only if he is ready to stay inside the ground for about seven hours

“He’s (Dhoni) close to accuracy. Lot of the times he stops others from appealing. He can become a good umpire provided he’s ready to be inside the ground for seven hours,” he said.

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