MS Dhoni trains alone at National Cricket Academy

Legends at the business end of their careers prepare and follow a customised blue-print to increase their longevity. 

Sachin Tendulkar during his last few years in international cricket would train all by himself at the Bandra Kurla Complex in Mumbai and Dhoni's training session at NCA on Monday looked similar. He faced hundreds of deliveries with 70 percent being throw-downs.

Dhoni had stayed back here and perhaps waited for the hullabaloo around the team to die down before taking the field. On what would have been the fifth day of the Afghanistan Test match (had it not finished in two days), Dhoni walked inside the National Cricket Academy nets team's throw-down expert Raghu and speedster Shardul Thakur in tow.

The next two and half hours was an intense session with Dhoni facing Raghu's customary throw-downs from 18 yards and Thakur's deliveries in between. It was two hours at a stretch and after a short break, he again resumed batting and this time Siddarth Kaul also joined the session.

There wasn't too many people around to watch and experience a Dhoni net session. Once the session was over, he found out a couple of scribes watching his session.

"Bhanak lag gaya (So you got the whiff that I am here)," he smiled at one of them as he disappeared inside the confines of NCA dressing room. Watching an enjoyable training session came to an end.