Former India coach Greg Chappell was effusive in his praise for the Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who announced his retirement from international cricket on Saturday, calling him the most impressive youngster he has worked with.
The former captain was one of the most successful Indian cricketers with a career that saw him lead the team to victory in the World Cup, the inaugural T20 World Cup and the Champions Trophy. Chappell, who was one of Dhoni’s initial national coaches after he made his debut in 2004, explained what attributes set the 39-year-old apart from many other Indian cricketers.
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“He has been the biggest star of Indian cricket since the great because like Kapil, he is authentic and though highly intelligent, entirely guileless and never a divisive figure,” Chappell wrote in a column for Mumbai Mirror.
“He had no false modesty. If he thought he could do something, he was not afraid to say so. Not in a cocky way. Just certain in his own capabilities,” he added.
Since his debut 16 years ago, Dhoni captured the imagination of fans with his swashbuckling batting and became one of the best finishers in limited overs cricket making India a team successful in run chases as well.
The Australian veteran wrote about how when they first met, he was surprised by the strength Dhoni had with the bat but saw more potential in his calculations in a chase. “As Rahul Dravid and I began to reshape the way India played one-day cricket we could see that Dhoni was going to be a key component in becoming one of the most dangerous teams either setting or chasing a target.”
Watch: Greg Chappell explains how he inspired MS Dhoni to become cricket’s ‘best finisher’
In the past as well, Chappell has spoken about how he inspired the ‘keeper-batsman to show more restraint and maximise his potential with the bat. He said that Dhoni was so cool under pressure, it would appear that he was deliberately pushing his limits.
“Pressure never fazed Dhoni. In fact, it seemed that he thrived on it... There were times when I wondered if he allowed the run-rate to rise just to push himself to the limit. Rarely did he fail to pull off a win,” he wrote.
Dubbed ‘Captain Cool’ because of his unflappable style, Dhoni is also one of India’s best loved sports personalities. In his trademark style, he posted a video of his career highlights on Instagram and added in a caption: “Thanks a lot for your love and support throughout. From 1929hrs consider me as retired.”
Read the full column here
