Apart from wicketkeeping, there are a lot of things MS Dhoni can learn from Adam Gilchrist. For instance, he can and should learn how to manage his sabbaticals.

To understand, let us go back to what have now become the most quoted statistics. Since January 2006, Dhoni has played 118 matches and during the same period he has also missed six games, probably due to injuries. The large amount of matches he has played in two years has been cited as the reason for opting to sit out the Sri Lankan Test series.

When you contrast this with 96 consecutive Tests played over a decade by Gilchrist, it is clear that Dhoni's case is not isolated. Gilchrist, like Dhoni, managed to combine both the stressful job of wicketkeeping and batting without ever taking a break from Test cricket. What he did when he felt jaded was to opt out of one-day internationals.

Admittedly, Cricket Australia had a large part in scheduling his breaks; however, Gilchrist, too, had his priorities right. He never ever opted out of Test matches unless he was injured.

This is what Dhoni should follow. The Indian star should plan to take a break during the ODIs or Twenty20s. His decision to opt out of a Test series has set a bad example and given a handle to the detractors of Twenty20 and the ODI's.