Former Australia batsman Michael Hussey explains why he feels India’s World Cup-winning captain MS Dhoni is the greatest of all time when it comes to playing the role of a finisher.
Speaking with Sanjay Manjrekar, Michael Hussey said, “Dhoni is the greatest finisher of all time that the cricketing world has ever produced. Dhoni can keep his cool and make the opposition captain blink first. Dhoni also has unbelievable power. He knows that when he needs to clear the ropes he can do it. He has that kind of self-belief. Honestly, I didn’t have that kind of belief in myself.”
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Micheal Hussey reveals how he learned a few tricks and picked a few notes or two from Dhoni about chasing when he played under the Indian wicket keeper’s leadership for Chennai Super Kings.
The 44-year-old said, “I tried not to let it reach 12 or 13 runs an over. And I learnt this from MS Dhoni. He is incredible. He believes that he who panics last wins the game. So Dhoni would keep his cool, and keep it longer because the pressure is on the bowler as well.”
Hussey added, “They don’t hang on to a defeat for too long. If they lose, they move on quickly. They don’t let a loss or a win hamper their thinking. They are always consistent, and level headed whether it’s MS Dhoni or Ricky Ponting”.
The Australian player was also asked to explain the reason for CSK’s consistent run in the IPL who have won the title three times. Hussey answered with, “Supportive owners who let the coach Fleming and captain Dhoni decide how to run the team, excellent chemistry between the coach and the captain, Dhoni’s leadership. This has built an excellent continuity in the team. And once you have continuity, you build relationships and trust that otherwise takes time to grow.”
However, Mr. Cricket, feels CSK will face a challenging task at their hands after MS Dhoni calls it quits and closes down the curtain on his career.
“I believe the owners would like to keep Dhoni involved in some way or the other. However, whenever the change of guard happens, CSK might want to start all over again, build a brand new team, and use their existing philosophy as they enter the next decade of IPL. It is definitely going to be more challenging in current times,” he said.
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MS Dhoni last played competitive cricket around 9 months ago. The Indian wicket-keeper did not feature after India’s semi-final loss to New Zealand in the World Cup 2019 in England. He was set to return in action with IPL 2020. However, the IPL is unlikely to happen due to the pandemic outbreak of the Corona Virus.
