‘He will clap if a good ball gets hit for a six’ – Muttiah Muralitharan on MS Dhoni’s qualities as a captain

Muttiah Muralitharan, the legendary Sri Lankan cricketer, had a chance of playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for seven seasons from 2008 to 2014. But it was for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) that he garnered a whole lot of success, getting 40 wickets from as many matches. From 2008 to 2010, the now 48-year-old spin wizard plied his trade for the MS Dhoni-led Super Kings.

Muralitharan, who’s currently the Sunrisers Hyderabad’s mentor, had words for praises for Dhoni, who has been with the CSK since 2008. The Lankan legend said how the CSK skipper used to appreciate the bowlers when good deliveries used to travel the journey. Muralitharan, who ended with 1,334 international wickets, also lauded Dhoni for allowing the bowlers to set their own field.

Because of those qualities, he has been a successful captain, says Muttiah Muralitharan

“Definitely he was a young captain, I would say. It was in the 2007 World Cup that he captained and won. But his theories are very nice to see. Because he will give the ball to the bowler and tell him to set the field and bowl. If it wasn’t working, then he would ask them to give a chance to the field he sets,” Muralitharan told to Ravi Ashwin on the latter’s YouTube show ‘DRS with Ash’.

“He will clap if a good ball gets hit for a six. He will tell the bowler that it’s a good ball even if the batsman had hit you for a six. Batsmen too have the talent. So, with those kinds of appreciations, he will call you alone to tell you what’s needed, instead of doing it in public. Because of those qualities, he has been a successful captain,” he added.

Overall, Murali played in 66 IPL matches, picking up 63 wickets at an excellent economy rate of 6.68. He played his last game, representing the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in 2014 against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Eden Gardens. As far as Dhoni is concerned, he is set to make a comeback to competitive cricket in the 2020 IPL after a break of more than 14 months.