MS Dhoni's Fastest Stumping Record in Cricket History

Arguably the best wicket-keeper to ever grace the game of cricket, Mahindra Singh Dhoni’s stumping record speaks for itself. Not only does the former Indian cricket captain and ICC World Cup winner hold the record for the fastest stumping in world cricket, but also the most number of stump outs in ODI and T20I history.

MS Dhoni’s fastest stumping record time was recorded at 0.08 seconds when he dismissed Keemo Paul during an India vs West Indies ODI match. Dhoni also holds the world record for stumping most batsmen, which stands at 123 ODIs and 34 in T20Is. MS Dhoni's stumping record was so strong that cricket betting strategies surrounding wicket-keepers were developed around his games.

MS Dhoni vs Keemo Paul - 0.08 seconds

It is surprising how MS Dhoni managed to get the fasting stumping record in cricket history when he was around 37 years old. The Caribbeans were struggling to chase a steep target of 378 runs when this event took place.

At the crease was Keemo Paul facing Ravindra Jadeja in the 28th over. The pressure of the unsurmountable target forced the aggressive batsman to come slightly forward as Jadeja managed to turn the ball away from the batsman. 0.08 seconds were all that MS Dhoni needed to stump Paul, thereby making the fastest stumping in cricket.

MS Dhoni vs Mitchell Marsh - 0.09 seconds

While a split second of 0.09 might be too fast for mere mortals, Dhoni has made a habit of dealing at such speed. The instance took place back in 2012 when India were touring Australia in 2012. Spinner Rahul Sharma was bowling to hard-hitter Mitchell Marsh in a T20I series and the Aussie tried to seize the opportunity by stepping out. However, he misread the flight of the ball and standing behind the stumps, MSD took just 0.09 seconds to dismantle the bails. It was the fastest stumping in cricket during that time.

MS Dhoni vs Shubman Gill - 0.1 seconds

The most recent exploit of MS Dhoni from behind the stumps came in last year’s Indian Premier League final in 2023, when Chennai Super Kings (CSK) faced defending champions Gujarat Titans (GT).

GT’s star opener Shubman Gill, who will be leading the franchise in IPL 2024, was in mercurial form. He had already tallied three centuries in the tournament in 2023 and was the most dangerous batsman of both teams combined. Gill would even go on to win the IPL Orange Cup 2023, but his magic was stunted in the summit clash by Dhoni.

Despite not being the master finisher anymore, 41-year-old Dhoni was still the best gloveman in the tournament. He had retired from international cricket as well which stopped him from having regular cricket practice. However, his intuition and anticipation from behind the stumps were enough to pull off a stumping in just 0.1 seconds.

Dhoni’s Stumping record in ODIs and T20Is

One look at the table and it is crystal clear that the former India captain is ahead by a mile compared to the next four wicket-keepers that follow him. Dhoni has kept wickets for 350 ODIs with an astounding 444 dismissals to his name from behind the stumps. Former Sri Lanka skipper Kumar Sangakkara doesn’t even come close to Dhoni’s stumpings record despite having the legendary Muttiah Muralitharan in his team.

Dhoni’s best ODI performance from behind the stumps came in 2007 before he became the captain of the Indian team. The Men in Blue were playing England at Leeds in the fifth ODI and had put up a strong total of 324 runs while batting first. While a struggling England lost the match via the D/L method as rain intervened when their score was at 242/8, Dhoni stole the limelight taking the catches of Alastair Cook, Ian Bell, Kevin Pietersen, Owais Shah and Jon Lewis and stumping out Matt Prior.

As the formats get shorter, Dhoni’s wicketkeeping skills come out. This is evident from his stumping record in T20I cricket, where he sits atop the table with 91 dismissals in 98 matches. He has effected 34 stumpings out of them, which has not only won India matches but made bowlers like Ravichandran Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav great.  

Dhoni’s best wicket-keeping performance for India came in 2018 against England in Bristol in the third T20I of the series between the two teams. Batting first, England were limited to 198 runs in 20 overs on a batting pitch and the wrecker-in-chief wasn’t Hardik Pandya, who had taken a four-wicket haul, but Dhoni. Dhoni became the first and last wicketkeeper to take five catches in a single T20I match, after his exploits in the ODIs, as Jason Roy, Alex Hales, Eoin Morgan, Jonny Bairstow and Liam Plunkett, all ended up knicking the ball to him.