In an Instagram conversation with Jatin Sapru for the series 'ASAP with JSAP,' Kuldeep Yadav shared a story from 2017. He recalled a match against Sri Lanka where MS Dhoni lost his cool because Yadav was ignoring tactical instructions while bowling to Kusal Perera, resulting in several boundaries.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni lost his cool at an ODI match while playing with Sri Lanka and at the bowler, for bowling boundaries, against Kusal Perera in the year 2017, say’s Yadav, who then apologised later in the bus for ignoring captain’s words. Kuldeep Yadav spoke with Jatin Sapru on Instagram for an interview, named ASAP with JSAP with the Indian bowler Yadav and there the bowler recalled this memory.
While facing Kusal Perera, Yadav struggled to keep the ball away from the boundary. MS Dhoni, keeping wickets, repeatedly urged the bowler to change his strategy, but the advice went unheeded, leading to another four runs. This prompted a frustrated Dhoni to confront Yadav, reminding him of his extensive experience with 300 ODIs and questioning why his directions were being ignored.
Yadav admitted he was shaken by the captain's rare anger. On the bus ride back after the game, Yadav apologized and asked Dhoni if such outbursts were common; Dhoni replied that he hadn't felt that way in twenty years, though he did suggest Yadav look back at his Ranji Trophy matches for reference. This story comes as a reminder of Dhoni's leadership legacy, ending with the 2019 World Cup, while his participation in IPL Season 13 was unfortunately disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.