Former Chennai Super Kings all-rounder Dwayne Bravo recalled an incident from Indian Premier League 2018 when MS Dhoni gave him a stunning piece of advice. Bravo said he dived to field a ball at long on and between the overs Dhoni told him to never dive when he is leading the team.
The veteran wicket-keeper told Bravo that his four overs are more important than saving a few runs for the team. The all-rounder was a gun fielder but started fielding within the 30-yard circle after that incident. Bravo was regarded as one of the best death bowlers in the IPL history and consistently delivered for CSK.
The West Indies all-rounder scalped 183 wickets in 161 IPL matches at an average of 23.83 and an economy rate of 8.39.
Bravo said on Beard Before Wicket podcast, “Then in 2018, when we came back after the ban, I dived for a ball while fielding at long-on. Obviously, I’m older then, 34. He called me into the ring, and after the over, as he walked past, he said to me, ‘Don’t ever dive on my cricket field again. Your four overs are more important than saving four runs.’ When he said that, I was like, wow.”
“After that, I started fielding in the circle. That’s the kind of thing he does. He knows what you’re good at, and he wants you for that reason. He doesn’t want you to try to do anything or be anybody else. This is what I want from you, this is your job, and I’m happy with this,” he added.
Bravo also recalled his first meeting with MS Dhoni in IPL 2011 when he decided to set his field but the latter had a different advice.
“In my first over, he asked me about my field. I told him what I wanted, and he was like, ‘Oh no, maybe…’ I said, ‘No, no, it’s okay, this is what I want.’ I think after that moment, he never told me anything about field placement again. I felt that at that moment he trusted me, that this guy knows what he’s doing and knows what he’s about. From there on, we called each other brother from a different mother. He just allowed me to be me.”
Dhoni will be seen in action in IPL 2026.
