Watch: Once MS Dhoni bowled with the pink ball in…

New Delhi: Former captain and dynamic wicket-keeper batter Mahendra Singh Dhoni became the first Indian to bowl with the pink ball in Australia. The veteran tried his hand with the pink ball for a few deliveries in 2015, before the first-ever day-night Test was played.

The first-ever day-night Test was played in 2015 between Australia and New Zealand. Before the match, Dhoni experimented with the new pink ball during a trial at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

In a video shared by cricket.com.au in 2015, Dhoni is seen bowling a few deliveries against a local batter. The video is available below:

The pink ball, used in day-night Tests, is preferred because it’s easier for batters to see under the floodlights. Additionally, the pink ball generates more swing and seam movement than the traditional red ball, thanks to an extra layer of lacquer.

Australia defeated New Zealand by three wickets in the inaugural pink-ball Test at Adelaide. The Aussies, who are currently facing India in a pink-ball Test at the same venue, have an impressive record in day-night Tests, winning 11 out of 12 matches.

MS Dhoni is all set to play TATA IPL 2025 as an uncapped player

Meanwhile, MS Dhoni is gearing up for the 2025 IPL season. Although IPL 2024 was expected to be his farewell season, the former Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain has surprised many by confirming his availability for another year.

The new IPL retention rules allowed CSK to retain MS Dhoni as an uncapped player for ₹4 crore. The five-time champions also kept Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ravindra Jadeja, Shivam Dube, and Matheesha Pathirana ahead of the IPL 2025 auction.

In IPL 2024, Dhoni batted lower down the order for CSK but still provided thrilling cameos, accumulating 161 runs from 73 balls at an impressive strike rate of 220.54.

Ruturaj Gaikwad’s captaincy saw CSK have a mixed season, narrowly missing a playoff spot due to a net run rate tiebreaker. CSK finished fifth on the points table, with seven wins and seven losses in 14 matches.