Mandeep Singh compares top qualities of MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, and Rohit Sharma [CricTracker Exclusive]

Mandeep Singh had led the forte of Punjab's state team in top-flight domestic set-up, as the team had become a force to be reckoned with under his leadership. However, he is also someone who made a name for himself with his crisp stroke-making and attacking batting style in the Indian Premier League, where he has been a part of multiple franchises over the years.

He also donned the Indian jersey, but his international career lasted only for three 20-over games against Zimbabwe in 2016. Since then, Mandeep has also played for Tripura, sharing his experience with the youth in the domestic circles. He is also an active personality on social media and also runs a YouTube channel, sharing his insights and analysis from ongoing cricketing action around the world.

While appearing for an exclusive chat with CricTracker, Mandeep shared his experience of playing alongside the legends like MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, and Rohit Sharma — all three being erstwhile India and IPL captains. He also compared the qualities of the legendary India trio, and mentioned what makes them stand out from others during his conversation with us.

Excerpts from the interview

What’s the best piece of advice you received from a senior player like MS Dhoni?

When I was in the team, during practice, he once spoke to me. I was practising in a way where I was just trying to hit boundaries. It was an ODI setup. After practice, MS Dhoni asked me, 'When you score a hundred, how many boundaries do you usually hit?' I said, Maybe 11–12'. He said, 'Okay, let’s assume 12.' Then he asked, 'So that’s 12 balls, right?' I said, 'Yes.'

He then said, 'So if 12 balls give you your boundary runs, that’s around 50 runs. Where will the remaining 50 runs come from?' I said, 'Singles and doubles.' He then asked, 'In nets, do you practise more for those 50 balls of singles and doubles, or do you practise more for the 12 balls you hit for boundaries?' I admitted, 'I focus more on hitting boundaries.'

He explained, 'If you play 60 balls, and 50 of those runs come from singles and doubles, you actually take less risk. So instead of only focusing on boundaries, if you try to take singles every ball, play in the gaps, and then put away the loose balls for boundaries, you will reduce your risk.' After that conversation, I followed this advice rigorously. In nets, especially during white-ball practice, I applied this approach, and it helped me a lot.

You’ve played alongside players like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Dhoni — one quality you admire in each?

All three have their own specialities. Virat Kohli and his aggression, his hunger for the game, I'm not saying that both of them don't have it, but that aggression is Virat's strength. Even sometimes my mom tells me, when I was a kid, you were very aggressive, look into Virat's eyes and see how much aggression he has. You can imagine how tough it is.

Mahi bhai, on the other hand, obviously, is very calm. He handles every situation very calmly. He gets angry sometimes, but it's very rare. He has his own style of getting angry. For example, when I was playing a match, under him, I threw the ball. He told me, after six overs, start hitting the ball once. So, by chance, my full toss went in. He just glared at me. I got scared of that glare. I thought, no, no, I made a mistake. So, these are the small things that he does. So, his calmness.

And Rohit Sharma, I think, he's a great mix of both. He's a little aggressive, and a little, as in, he should enjoy cricket a little. He's a great mix. So, I feel, all three have their own qualities. You can learn a lot from all three.