Australian cricketers take their hats off praising former Indian skipper MS Dhoni

Former Indian skipper MS Dhoni, who is in Australia probably for one last time in his career, received nothing but praise from the Aussie cricketers. Right from Test skipper Tim Paine to ODI skipper Aaron Finch, everyone showered some immense praise on the wicketkeeper-batsman. The 37-year-old will be in action for the three-match ODI series that kicks off on 12 January 2019.

These cricketers have rated the veteran as one of the greatest to have ever played the game. Dhoni has over 16,000 international runs to his name along with 16 international centuries. He also has over 800 dismissals behind the stumps and has scored 9,999 runs for India in ODIs. The first run that he’d score on the Australian soil will be his 10,000th ODI run for India.

MS Dhoni – The Greatest and the Mightiest

One of the best wicketkeeper-batsman: Tim Paine

Tim Paine said that he enjoys watching Dhoni in action and added that he loves the way MS plays his cricket. The wicket-keeper batsman also added that he was happy that he won’t have to play against the Indian legend. Paine also noted that Dhoni is right up there amongst the great in white-ball cricket.

“I think he is one of the best wicketkeeper-batsmen to ever play the game. He is right up there, no doubt about that, particularly in white-ball cricket. Hopefully, he doesn’t get too many runs but it’s certainly going to be nice to have him here for a little bit. I’m happy I won’t be out there against him,” said Tim Paine.

“What I do love about watching him play, whether he is batting or keeping and captaining, he keeps things very simple. That’s just from what I can see. Cricket is very complicated game and I’ve enjoyed watching him really simplify it still in this modern age. He just looks like he does the basics pretty well, stays real relaxed and – at his age from the pressure he would be under in India and around the world – he looks like he just loves playing cricket,” he added.

My main memory of Dhoni is just his persona on the field: Pat Cummins

Pacer Pat Cummins also showered praises on MS Dhoni. He said that the Indian cricketer is a terrific personality. Also, Cummins added that Dhoni is capable of pulling off things that no one can ever imagine to do. He reminisced the former skipper’s glory days as the captain of the side and called him a great ambassador for cricket.

“I think my main memory of Dhoni is just his persona on the field. You’ve seen him winning IPL tournaments, World Cups, Test matches, incredible victories, and he just picks up the stump and walks off (like) nothing happened.

“Winning games from impossible positions and he just seems like the most level, calm captain when he’s captaining, just play, nothing seems too big a deal, and just can pull things out of his hat like no one else. He’s a great ambassador for cricket, being an idol to a billion Indian people back home and he’s hugely respected around the world,” said Cummins as quoted by cricket.com.au.

We’re quite similar in the way we play: Usman Khawaja

Usman Khawaja had an opportunity to share the dressing room with Dhoni when he played for the Rising Pune Supergiant. He observed that both of them are similar in the way they play and termed him to be a very good bloke. Khawaja also said that his former IPL captain only focusses on the controllable.

“He’s obviously a legend of a cricketer but he’s such a good bloke and so relaxed. I love playing cricket with him and on the same team because I think we’re quite similar in the way we play.

“He concentrates on the controllables, doesn’t worry about the rest, doesn’t let a lot faze him, understands there’s a lot of up and downs in cricket and I think he’s experienced that throughout his career and the way he plays and the way he goes about it.

“He’s one of the guys I really enjoy playing with and he’s such a good bloke, so yeah there’ll be a big crowd to see him probably one last time in Australia,” said the left-hander.

The way he led India under extreme scrutiny is unbelievable: Aaron Finch

The ODI skipper Aaron Finch also termed MSD as one of the all-time greats of the game. He added that it will be a sad day if ever Dhoni doesn’t come back to Australia after this tour.

“I think the way that he’s led India under the most extreme cricket scrutiny for a long time has been unbelievable,” Finch said.

“I think that he’s obviously one of the all-time greats of the game. It will be a sad day if he doesn’t come back to Australia after this tour, he’s a brilliant entertainer and someone that people pay money to come through the gates to watch,” Finch concluded.

Get the latest Cricket News and updates from Australia vs India series, Match Predictions, Fantasy Cricket Tips and lots more on CricTracker.com.