By CricketCountry Staff
Indian captain MS Dhoni’s wicket-keeping skills are as good as that of former Australian wicket-keeper Ian Healy feels England wicket-keeping coach, Bruce French.
Published: Oct 17, 2011, 05:26 PM (IST)
Edited: Oct 17, 2011, 05:26 PM (IST)
England wicket-keeping coach Brice French (R) believes MS Dhoni had a tough time in England mainly due to wobbling ball © Getty Images
By CricketCountry Staff
Hyderabad: Oct 17, 2011
Indian captain MS Dhoni’s wicket-keeping skills are as good as that of former Australian wicket-keeper Ian Healy feels England wicket-keeping coach, Bruce French.
Speaking about MS Dhoni, French was quoted in Sunday Express as saying, “He’s neck and neck with Healy. Dhoni’s got really relaxed hands, and he’s one of those keepers that naturally expect to catch every ball. He’s not worried about any interference and it’s like the batsman is invisible to him.
“You can see that by the way his hands move even when a ball is hit for four. There is a slight twitch there with his gloves, and he’s always in the right position.”
French also feels that it was a shame that Indian captain was criticised for poor keeping in England knowing that conditions in England are tough to keep against swing bowlers.
He said, “It’s a shame that Dhoni had a bad time really. But it worked in our favour, so I’m not complaining. I have always admired him as a wicket-keeper. And it’s not nice to hear (negative) comments about such a great wicket-keeper just because of the wobbling ball.”
“I think Dhoni dropped a couple in the first game and he got a bit of tension there. If you are trying to catch a ball with tensed hands, you are in trouble and that’s what went wrong for him,” he adds.
French believes if Dhoni is made to hone his keeping skills, he can attain greatness even with the gloves.
“If I was with the Indian team, I would make him work his backside off. Such a great talent, combined with hard work could make him one of the greatest wicket-keepers of all time,” said French.
