Neither Virat Kohli nor Hardik Pandya! Ravi Shastri wants to play under this IPL captain

On Star Sports, a fan asked the 60-year-old if he can play under a captain in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL), who will he be?

Neither Virat Kohli nor Hardik Pandya! Ravi Shastri wants to play under this IPL captain

Ravi Shastri

Over the period of time, former India captain MS Dhoni, who has taken India to heights under his leadership, has garnered praise and respect not just from his teammates and fans but from the ex-cricketers as well. Apart from lifting two World Cups and a Champions Trophy, his personality, game style, and bold decisions also gave him many fans. And one of his admirers is former India head coach Ravi Shastri.

Shastri has watched Dhoni as a manager and then as Team India’s head coach. On Star Sports, a fan asked the 60-year-old if he can play under a captain in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL), who will he be?

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Without giving it a thought, Shastri uttered Dhoni’s name because his stats as a captain made his name pop up in Shastri’s mind. “Mazaa aayega Dhoni ki captaincy me khelna (Playing under Dhoni’s captaincy would be fun). His record as a captain forces you to put him right up,” Shastri added.

Related: “Don’t hurt our feelings,” Harbhajan Singh makes special request to MS Dhoni

Ravi Shastri recalls how MS Dhoni was preferred as India’s next captain

Ravi Shastri recalls how MS Dhoni was preferred as India's next captain
MS Dhoni

In 2007, MS Dhoni was handed the leadership role and in that year only, he cemented his place as India’s captain, for under him, the Men in Blue lifted the first-ever T20 World Cup.

Ravi Shastri recalled how Dhoni’s persona and his reading of the game helped a lot while selecting a captain. “Coolness is one thing but the way he reads and understands the game is terrific. I remember when I was a manager in 2007 and Dilip Vengsarkar was the selector. Rahul Dravid was injured in a practice session at the Eden Gardens, we were speaking and MS Dhoni’s name popped up. He asked me and I said, ‘This guy has the leadership quality’,” Shastri said.

Shastri then added that he and Vengsarkar were on the same page and the latter just did not choose Dhoni based on his coolness but his ability to read the game, street-smart ability, personality, and character also played a huge role in selecting him as a leader.

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