'Indian cricket will only realise how good MS Dhoni was now that he has gone' - Nasser Hussain
Former England captain Nasser Hussain has opined that Indian cricket will truly realise MS Dhoni's value now that the former Indian captain has called it a day from international cricket.
A host of former Indian and foreign cricketers paid glowing tributes to MS Dhoni on his international career while sharing their thoughts on the Star Sports' show Cricket Connected.
Sunil Gavaskar termed MS Dhoni's retirement as the end of the era of the unconventional brand of cricket and captaincy the wicket-keeper-batsman brought to the fore.
"MS Dhoni's retirement is the end an era of unorthodoxy and out of the box thinking, that was a feature of his captaincy and his cricket throughout his career."
The Little Master lauded the Captain Cool for grooming budding cricketers and helping them in performing to their utmost potential.
"And what a magnificent career he has had, he has taken India to great heights as a player, as a captain and also as somebody who has helped, groomed and guided junior cricketers to fulfil their potential."
Shane Warne congratulated MS Dhoni on a great career while adding that it was a treat to have watched the latter play the game.
"Congratulations on a wonderful career MS. It was fantastic to watch you play, the way you went about the game, the way you led your troops was fantastic."
The former Aussie leg-spinner praised the 39-year-old for extracting the best from his teammates while also delivering on his own during crunch situations.
"You always managed to get the best out of your players and when the time was right you won it of your own bat too. Total respect mate, an absolute legend."
Nasser Hussain labelled MS Dhoni as the best limited-overs captain in cricketing history, for India as well as CSK, while also praising his glovework and finishing abilities.
"Quickest gloves in the world, the best finisher in the world and for me the best white-ball captain there has ever been, whether it be for Chennai or for India. The man was so cool, so calm under pressure."
The former England captain observed that Indian cricket would realise MS Dhoni's real value now, with the great man having called it quits from international cricket.
"I think Indian cricket will only realise how good MS Dhoni was now that he has gone. Enjoy your retirement MS."
Michael Vaughan and Kevin Pietersen's views on MS Dhoni
Michael Vaughan mentioned that MS Dhoni's decisions as a captain would at times flummox the cricket experts, but they would yield the desired results more often than not.
"Incredible persona from behind the stumps to read the game, calmness, tactically inventive, decisions that he made sometimes you will look at and think why he is doing that but pretty much 95% of the time he knew exactly what he was trying to achieve."
The former England captain called the talismanic batsman probably the greatest finisher the world has seen.
"With the bat in hand, probably the greatest finisher."
Kevin Pietersen termed MS Dhoni's stellar career as one which any cricketer would be proud of.
"MS, my great buddy. What a stellar career, what an amazing career, what a magical career, one career you should be so proud of."
The maverick batsman signed off by stating that the whole cricketing world is blessed to have seen the 2011 World Cup-winning captain's magical career.
"All of India, all of the world of cricket is so blessed to have been able to witness one of the most magical careers."
MS Dhoni scored 10773 runs at an excellent average of 50.57 in the 350 ODI matches he played. He amassed 1546 runs in 48 ODIs against England, at an impressive average of 46.84.