AUS v IND 2018-19: Even Tendulkar has got angry but not MS Dhoni, says Shastri

Dhoni struck another brilliant half-century to take India past the finishing line.

 MS Dhoni was awarded Player-of-the-Series for his exploits | Getty

Have seen the legendary Sachin Tendulkar get "angry at times" but not the ever calm Mahendra Singh Dhoni, said Ravi Shastri. Indian head coach lavished huge praise on the great wicketkeeper-batsman and hailed him as "a once in 40 years player", who'll be very difficult to replace once he retires from International cricket. 

Following widespread criticism of his 51-run knock that came in India's 34-run loss at Sydney, MS Dhoni struck two masterful innings of 55 and 87 in Adelaide and Melbourne respectively to help India comeback and win the three-match ODI series, 2-1. 

"He is a legend. He will go down as one of our great cricketers. I have never seen an individual so sound. I have seen Sachin at times get angry. Not this man," Shastri told the Daily Telegraph

"You can’t. Such players only come once in 30 or 40 years. That is what I tell the Indians. Enjoy while it lasts. When he goes you will see a void that will be very hard to fill."

While Shastri is hopeful that young Rishabh Pant will be able to make the most of his opportunities, he stressed that MS Dhoni is perhaps still a notch above the rest. 

"I would love to. He has the talent. His hero is MS. Every day he is on the phone to MS. I think during the Test series he must have spoken more to MS than anyone else," the former Indian allrounder said when ex-England captain Michael Vaughan asked whether Pant can be the next Dhoni. 

His understanding of the game and the tactical inputs that Dhoni gives to Virat Kohli makes him an even bigger asset to the young side that India has. 

"That is because he has the best angle. He sees things. He is great with the guys, they all worship him. This entire team has been built by him because he was captain for 10 years. To have that kind of respect in the dressing room and experience is massive," Shastri concluded. 

 
 

By Kashish Chadha - 19 Jan, 2019

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