'MS Dhoni was at times faster than any pickpocket' - Ravi Shastri
Team India head coach Ravi Shastri believes that former Indian skipper MS Dhoni has completely changed the game of cricket for all times to come with his style of play. Shastri also feels that the speed with which Dhoni completed his stumpings was even quicker than any pickpocket.
MS Dhoni announced his retirement from international cricket on Saturday, bringing an end to one of the most stellar careers in the history of the game. Dhoni is the only captain to have won all the three ICC white-ball tournaments, and Shastri believes that he has had an impact that no one else has on the game.
"This man is second to none, and coming from where he did, he changed cricket for all times to come. And his beauty is he did it in all formats. For me, what stood out was his stumpings and his run-outs. He had such fast hands that he was at times faster than any pickpocket," Shastri told India Today.
In any list of cricket's greatest, you have to include MS Dhoni: Ravi Shastri
MS Dhoni's ability to remain calm under pressure is what separated him from the rest, believes Shastri. The former India all-rounder also spoke about how Dhoni thrived under pressure and how his unique tactics created a significant impact on the game.
Shastri also suggested that although Dhoni's wicketkeeping style was not conventional, the impact he had was unbelievable.
"Look at the impact he had...The batsman wouldn't even realise that Dhoni had taken the bails off and that's something that added to his aura. In any list of cricket's greatest, not greats but the greatest, you have to include this man," Shastri said.
According to Shastri, MS Dhoni's ability to remain calm under pressure and take crucial decisions is what made him one of the most successful captains ever.