New Zealand spinner Mitchell Santner has played under two of the calmest captains in MS Dhoni and Kane Williamson. He pointed out the difference between the leadership of Dhoni and Williamson, and how they prepare for a match.
While the 29-year-old has observed Williamson's captaincy for his national team, he was part of the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) franchise, which is led by Dhoni, since 2018. He revealed Dhoni relies a lot on his mid-game instincts to take a captaincy call, but Williamson likes to plan for a game and be prepared for every possibility.
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“Dhoni is a very instinctive captain. He has captained in a lot of games. He has been in tricky situations a lot. He just has the knack of knowing what will happen in the game. He will give you pretty good views from behind the stumps. It’s quite awesome to be involved with CSK for the last four years and to play under one of the greatest captains and players of our time.
“On the other hand, Kane is someone who does a lot of planning beforehand. He is very relaxed and calm. It helps you as a player when you are under the pump,” he said in an interview with The Indian Express.
Santner also opened up on his captaincy and said that he has learned a few captaincy traits from Brendon McCullum, Dhoni, and Willamson. The spinner had led New Zealand against India in the third T20I during the recent tour.
“I have been lucky enough to play under Brendon, Kane, and MS over the years. You note down stuff from your captains and try to implement it when you lead the team. If I manage to pick up a few stuffs from their rulebooks, I will do fine as a captain,” he said.
(Inputs from The Indian Express)