Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has hailed MS Dhoni's wicketkeeping to spinners, citing that he has hasn’t seen "anyone else" operate with such skill behind the stumps.

Speaking on 'The Ravichandran Ashwin Experience' on JioStar, Ashwin highlighted Dhoni's unmatched glovework and clear thinking.

"His glovework has always amazed me. People talk a lot about his captaincy, and rightly so, the titles speak for themselves," Ashwin said.

"But for me, two things stand out -- one, how good a middle-order batter he was, someone who could take the game deep and finish it.

“And the second is his keeping against spinners. I haven't seen anyone else like him,” he added.

Ashwin also shared insight on Dhoni’s empowering approach, stating that the World Cup-winning captain used to give confidence to spinners by allowing them to set their own fields.

“He never set the field for me. I would set my own field, and he would just say, ‘Don't double-guess. Don't pre-empt. If you get hit, it's fine. If someone takes a risk, let it be. Just bowl to your field.' He trusted that,” Ashwin stated.

The veteran off-spinner credited Dhoni's lightning-fast reflexes for a difficult catch that dismissed Chris Gayle for a duck in the 2011 IPL final.

“You can talk about the set-up and the dismissal, but how well MS took that catch. It wasn't easy,” he remarked.

MS Dhoni is part of CSK’s IPL 2026 squad but has missed the first half of the season due to a persistent calf injury. While he is traveling with the team and has been spotted practicing in the nets, he has not played a match this season.

There is no confirmed date for his comeback, though recent reports suggest he could return late in the season, possibly as an Impact Player to manage his workload.