Former India head coach Ravi Shastri made a rather hilarious remark while praising World Cup-winning skipper MS Dhoni's wicketkeeping skills during the ICC Hall of Fame event in London.
Known for his candid and forthright opinions, Shastri compared the speed of Dhoni’s hand to that of a "pickpocketeer."
Dhoni was inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame during a ceremony. He became the 11th Indian cricketer to join the elite list.
Speaking during the event about Dhoni, Shastri said, "He had hands faster than that of a pickpocket. If you're ever in India, going for a big game, especially in Ahmedabad, you don't want MS behind you; watch that back. The wallet will disappear."
"He gets out for zero is the same, he wins the World Cup is the same, he gets a hundred the same, two hundred the same. There is absolutely, you know, no difference," Shastri added.
With 17,266 international runs, 829 dismissals and 538 matches across formats for India, Dhoni's stats show not just brilliance but incredible consistency, fitness and longevity.
Reacting to his presence in the esteemed company, Dhoni stated that this honour would stay with him forever.
"It is an honour to be named in the ICC Hall of Fame, which recognises the contributions of cricketers across generations and from all over the world. To have your name remembered alongside such all-time greats is a wonderful feeling. It is something that I will cherish forever," said Dhoni, as quoted by ICC.
Dhoni's strongest format is the ODIs, in which he scored 10,773 runs from 350 matches at an average of 50.57. He slammed 10 centuries and 73 fifties for India, with the best score of 183*. He is India's sixth-highest scorer in ODIs. The fact that he managed to score 10,000-plus runs at an average of over 50 while coming down the order makes his statistics even more interesting.
He led India in 200 ODI matches, winning 110, losing 74. Five matches were tied, while 11 failed to produce a result. He has a winning percentage of 55. Dhoni has won ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 and ICC Champions Trophy 2013 for India as a skipper.
Dhoni represented India in 98 T20Is, scoring 1,617 runs at an average of 37.60 and a strike rate of 126.13. He has two half-centuries in the shortest format, with the best score of 56. He was the winning captain of India's ICC T20 WC 2007 winning team.
Coming to his Test career, Dhoni played 90 matches, scoring 4,876 runs at an average of 38.09. He smashed six hundreds and 33 half-centuries, with the best score of 224. He is the 14th-highest scorer for India in Tests. As a captain, he led India in 60 Tests, out of which they won 27 matches, lost 18 and drew 15.
