Gautam Gambhir praises MS Dhoni, calls him a ‘quality player’

MS Dhoni is the kind of batsman one can never write-off because of his ability to stun the opponents when least expect. The two-time World Cup winning captain has not been in a great form this season in the cash-rich league.

He put up a vintage only against the Sunrisers Hyderabad where he scored an unbeaten 61 and led his team to a last ball win. That inning also shut out the critics to prove that Dhoni still is a great finisher, if not the best.

Former India captain Sourav Ganguly had questioned Dhoni the T20 player’s abilities, saying he was suited only for the ODI format. These comments from Ganguly came when Dhoni was struggling with the bat in the initial phase of the tournament.

But after Dhoni’s match winning 61 against Hyderabad, Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Gautam Gambhir not just praised Dhoni but also blasted critics who write off champions due to a few bad performances.

“There is no one like a finisher or a starter. Ultimately, the one who scores the winning run is a finisher, irrespective of whether he’s an opening batsman or No 11. What matters is how much you are contributing. If you can win matches for your team, you are a finisher,” Gambhir told reporters in Pune.

He further highlighted how in India, we judge someone by their bad performances, forgetting the good ones. Gambhir doesn’t want to think too much about Dhoni’s threat against KKR but rather is concerned about what his team can do on the given day.

“Here (in India), we start criticising if someone has one or two bad matches. He (Dhoni) is a quality player and we all know what he has done for India and the IPL. It is an important game, and rather than thinking what he can do, I think what KKR will do is all that matters,” added Gambhir

KKR bowlers were at their best in the last game against RCB, where they bowled out IPL’s best batting line-up at least on paper for the lowest total ever – 49 runs.