Former India all-rounder Suresh Raina shed light on how the world saw the birth of the ‘Dhoni Review System’ during their 2013 Champions Trophy winning campaign. India’s 2013 Champions Trophy win saw them comprehensively outclass the best teams en route to an unbeaten tournament triumph. Their second game against the West Indies showcased their dominance in all aspects, as India secured an eight-wicket victory over a dangerous opponent. On a special episode of JioHotstar’s The Suresh Raina Experience: Champions Trophy Special, Raina highlighted MS Dhoni’s tactical brilliance in managing bowling innings, emphasising how the wicket-keeper batter maximized the team’s success with accurate DRS calls, an aggressive field setup, and bold decisions.
“The Oval is a batting-friendly surface. But if you consider the weather in Wales, you need to look up at the skies as well as down at the pitch. This is where the Dhoni Review System started. Every DRS he called was correct,” Raina remarked.
“Look at him behind the stumps, taking catches. The best part was his attacking field placements,” Raina added. “Virat Kohli was in the slips, Ashwin was at leg slip, and Dhoni was behind the stumps. He knew how to build pressure. This was the rise of T20 cricket, where players were always looking to attack. His masterstroke was bringing in spinners and challenging them to attack.”
The bowling masterclass by Ravindra Jadeja in that match did not go unnoticed by Raina, who marvelled at his teammate’s brilliance in returning figures of 5-36.
“Jadeja and Ashwin bowled exceptionally well. Dhoni knew that the opposition would try to take on the spinners. That’s his astute leadership, but I have to praise Ravi Jadeja’s excellent bowling. He kept it at the stumps and became a different kind of all-rounder.
“Jadeja was in top form that year across formats. If the wicket was dry, he became even more lethal,” Raina continued. “He could bowl with pace, and batters couldn’t react in time. He was also incredibly accurate. He bowled fast spin, straight deliveries, and MS knew that if Jaddu could target the stumps for 35-40 deliveries out of 60, he would take five wickets,” Raina said.
That tournament also saw Indian batters like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Raina himself stepping in to bowl whenever the captain deemed it necessary. Raina discussed Kohli’s contributions with the ball in this match while crediting Dhoni’s leadership.
“Virat is a quality batter, but he enjoyed bowling a lot until he developed back tightness. If you’re a slow medium pacer, it’s fun to bowl in England. Virat knew he could contribute 3-4 overs. You have to credit MS Dhoni here as a captain. He knew how to extract overs from part-time bowlers: ‘Virat, come here. Rohit, come here. Raina, come here.’ That’s 10 overs right there.”
He further explained how Dhoni and the management at the 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. Dhoni had this extra edge – he created a perfect balance, which wasn’t easy to do.”
The Rohit Sharma-led side will begin their Champions Trophy campaign against Bangladesh in Dubai on February 20.
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