IPL 2024: Dhoni's agility at 42 leaves netizens stunned; WATCH THE CATCH

HE became the headline snatcher of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 even before the first ball was bowled, by suddenly announcing his decision to step down as the captain of Chennai Super Kings (CSK), paving the way for Ruturaj Gaikwad.

But while netizens were busy debating whether the decision was right or wrong, Mahendra Singh Dhoni stole the limelight for a fresh reason. On Tuesday (26), the gloveman leapt 2.7 metres to his right to take a catch in 0.6 seconds to get rid of Gujarat Titans' Vijay Shankar off the bowling of medium pacer Daryl Mitchell at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai and the cricketing community was still in disbelief since Dhoni is now 42. It was his 252nd match in the IPL which he has been playing since inception in 2008.

Former India wicket-keeper Parthiv Patel shared some insights on the work Dhoni puts in his wicket-keeping and said the catch reminded one of the days when a young MSD would throw himself all around and take such catches. While the wicket-keeper-batter's hard-hitting skills with the bat turned into a pale shadow of their best days, his keeping skills never really looked worn.

Read: Chennai march on, thrash Gujarat in 2023 final replay

"I have never seen him practice wicket keeping. The one important thing we can see here is the distance that he covered. A lot of wicketkeepers have an initial movement where they usually go towards the leg side, but MS Dhoni consistently dives in the same direction and can cover two metres of distance. It looked like we were watching a 22-year-old Dhoni again," Patel said on Jio Cinema's Match Centre Live.

Read: MS Dhoni no more CSK captain; IPL 2024 to be his last?

"You have to praise him. A lot of young wicketkeepers should learn this technical point. When you use one leg to move to the leg side, you can't cover the distance on the off-side. Dhoni's anticipation is always correct, which allows him to cover the distance well, and very few times do we see that he needs to dive for the ball, because his anticipation is so good, and he covers the distance."

Abhinav Mukund, another former India cricketer, also was ecstatic to see Dhoni's agility in the 40s. While speculation is rife that the current edition could be the former India captain's last IPL and therefore, his final stint with competitive cricket, Mukund, who had made his national debut under Dhoni, is not convinced that the veteran is finished.

"The Chepauk crowd on its feet. A flying tiger, Mahendra Singh Dhoni. A 42-year-old man leaping like a lion to take a brilliant catch, MS Dhoni! Mitchell has taken the breakthrough; Vijay Shankar is out now. MSD ka Hukum. I swear he isn't finished yet. This is MS Dhoni, don't mess with him. What a diving catch! They just got in Daryl Mitchell, and it was a slight edge and a wonderful catch," he said while doing commentary during the match.