Former India opener Gautam Gambhir’s equation with ex-skipper MS Dhoni remains a mystery for the cricket fans.

Every now and then, Gambhir vents out his frustration over the media and fans giving credit to Dhoni for India’s 2011 World Cup triumph.

While Gambhir has clarified in the past that there is no bad blood between him and Dhoni, there is still a lot of speculation about their relationship.

Now, Gambhir has come out with a statement in praise of Dhoni, calling the former wicketkeeper-batter a “blessing” for Indian cricket.

“MS (Dhoni) was the first wicketkeeper of India who could change the game with his batting. Earlier, they were keepers first and batters later, but MS was batter first and then was a wicketkeeper,” Gambhir told Star Sports.

“It was a blessing for Indian cricket that in MS Dhoni, we got a wicketkeeper-batter who can win you matches from No 7, because he had that power game,” he added.

MS Dhoni represented India in 350 ODIs, amassing 10,773 runs with 10 centuries and 73 fifties. However, Gambhir feels Dhoni could have scored much more had he batted at No. 3.

“If MS would have batted at No 3, I am sure he could have broken several ODI records,” Gambhir said, before hailing Dhoni for being a selfless captain.

“People always talk about MS Dhoni and his achievements as a captain, which is absolutely true. But I feel due to captaincy, he sacrificed the batter in him, and he could have achieved much more with his bat which he didn’t. And this happens when you are a captain because then you put the team ahead, and you forget about yourself.

“He started batting at No 6 or 7. If he had not been captain, he would have been India’s No 3, and I think he could have scored more than what he has scored and could have scored more hundreds also.

“People always see MS with the trophies but in my opinion, he sacrificed his international runs for the team’s trophies,” Gambhir remarked.