Team India head coach Ravi Shastri was all praise for former captain MS Dhoni, who announced his international retirement on social media on Saturday to bring an end to a glorious career spanning 16 years.
The 39-year-old finally put an end to all the speculations surrounding his future by deciding to step away on his own terms after having played his final game for the country in the 2019 World Cup semi-final in England.
Praising Dhoni for changing the face of Indian cricket with his leadership, Shastri said that he should be considered as one of the all-time greats of the game.
“This man is second to none. And coming from where he did he changed cricket for all times to come. And his beauty is he did it in all formats. T-20- he has won a world cup and multiple IPL titles. 50 overs- he has won a world cup. Test cricket- he has taken India to the number one position in the world. Played 90 Test matches.
“And he always took life as it came. From his days in Kharagpur to his days as an Indian cricketer he was always in the moment. And in retirement also he has moved on. As I said he is second to none,” Ravi Shastri told India Today’s Boria Majumdar in an exclusive interview.
“As a wicket keeper he was not a natural but was effective as hell. Look at the impact he had. For me what stood out was his stumpings and his run outs. He had such fast hands that he was at times faster than any pickpocket. The batsman wouldn’t even realise that Dhoni had taken the bails off and that’s something that added to his aura.
MS Dhoni bows out as India’s most successful captain, having won all three ICC trophies – 2007 World T20, 2011 World Cup and 2013 Champions Trophy – while they also became the top-ranked Test team under him in 2009.
