'He put his hands around my shoulders and said..' - uncapped Indian player reveals rare chat with MS Dhoni

MS Dhoni maybe approaching his sunset on the playing field but the legendary India and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) wicketkeeper-batter remains a school of great learning for youngsters part of the Indian cricket ecosystem. 

Aspiring young domestic talents continue to seek the advice of the man considered one of the smartest cricketing brains in the sport and fasten their growth at the sidelines of matches in the Indian Premier League (IPL). 

During the IPL 2023, where he was turning out for the Delhi Capitals (DC), uncapped Bengal seamer Mukesh Kumar had the special opportunity to interact with MS Dhoni and imbibe great learnings about the game. 

Mukesh, who has been a rising young quick in the Indian set-up and is part of the Test squad heading to the Caribbean for the upcoming two-match series, revealed what exactly he asked the world's most astute captain at the sidelines of one of DC's league stage fixtures with CSK. 

Mukesh Kumar reveals interaction with MS Dhoni 

Speaking in an interview with Times of India prior to the Test series against the West Indies, starting July 12, Mukesh, who could be in line for an international debut, revealed focusing on a bowling-heavy question from Dhoni, who has always been a master at managing his resources and extracting the maximum value out of his bowlers. 

"I always wanted to meet Dhoni bhaiya and ask him a couple of things. This happened because of the IPL. I met him and the first thing I asked him - 'ek captain aur wicketkeeper hote hue aap apne bowlers ko kya batate ho' (What exactly do you tell your bowlers as a captain and wicketkeeper?)," Mukesh Kumar said. 

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In response, the right-arm medium pacer revealed, Dhoni told him not to be afraid of putting himself in the firing line and trying out different strategies and variations since then only would he know what works for him and what doesn't when the pressure is high. 

"He put his hands around my shoulders and said, ‘I tell this to every bowler that till the time you won't try, you won't learn. He said you need to do exactly what you want to do. If you won't, you will not learn. He said to forget the outcome, and just go and try. He explained this thing really well to me," Mukesh said. 

Mukesh has had a rapid rise to make the Indian Test squad for the Caribbean trip. Being a consistent performer for Bengal in the Ranji Trophy and nailing his opportunities for India 'A' side, the 29-year-old has taken 149 wickets in 36 first-class matches at an astonishing average of 21.55.