Suresh Raina Reveals Origin of 'Dhoni Review System' in 2013 Champions Trophy
Former India all-rounder Suresh Raina spoke about how the world witnessed the birth of the 'Dhoni Review System' during the campaign to win the 2013 Champions Trophy.
India's 2013 Champions Trophy win saw them outshine the best teams on their way to undefeated tournament victories. Their second match against the West Indies displayed their dominance in all aspects, as India won by eight wickets over a dangerous opponent.
In a special episode of JioHotstar's The Suresh Raina Experience: Champions Trophy Special, Raina highlighted MS Dhoni's tactical talent in managing bowling innings, emphasizing how the wicket-keeper batsman maximised the team's success with accurate DRS calls, an aggressive field setup and bold decisions.
Raina said, "The Oval is a favorable surface for batting. But if you consider the weather in Wales, you have to take a look at the sky as well as the pitch. This is where the Dhoni review system started. Whatever DRS he took, it was right. ''
"Watch him take a catch behind the stumps. The best part was that he played aggressively on the field. Virat Kohli was in the slips, Ashwin was at leg slip and Dhoni was behind the stumps. They knew how to build pressure. It was the rise of T20 cricket, where players always tried to attack. His masterstroke was to bring in spinners and challenge them to attack. "
Ravindra Jadeja's brilliant bowling in that match was not overlooked by Raina, who expressed surprise at his teammate's brilliant performance of 5-36.
"Jadeja and Ashwin bowled really well. Dhoni knew that the opposition team would try to beat the spinners. It's his clever leadership ability, but I have to praise Ravi Jadeja's excellent bowling. He maintained his grip on the stumps and became a different kind of all-rounder.
Raina further said, "Jadeja was in excellent form in all formats that year. If the wicket was dry, they would have become even more deadly. They could bowl fast and the batsmen could not react in time. They were also incredibly accurate.
"He used to bowl fast spin and straight balls and MS knew that if Jaddu could bowl 35-40 balls out of 60 on the stumps, he would take five wickets. That tournament also featured Indian batsmen like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Raina, who bowled whenever the captain felt it was necessary. Raina discussed Kohli's contribution in this match and credited Dhoni's leadership ability. "Virat is a great batsman, but he loved bowling until he had a stiffness in his back. If you are a slow medium pace bowler, bowling in England is fun. Virat knew that he could contribute in 3-4 overs. You got to give credit to MS Dhoni as captain. He knew how to get overs out of part-time bowlers: 'Virat, come here. Rohit, come here. Raina, come here. "It's 10 overs. "
He further explained how Dhoni and the management at that time ensured that non-specialist bowlers were always ready to contribute, complementing the team's core bowling attack. "You had five frontline bowlers: Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja. After that, what options did you have? Virat could bowl three overs, Rohit could bowl two and I could bowl one or three overs. Dhoni had this extra edge – he struck a perfect balance, which was not easy to do. "
The Rohit Sharma-led side will begin their Champions Trophy campaign against Bangladesh in Dubai on February 20.
- IANS