New Delhi: Senior India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has praised former India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni for his leadership skills and the way he’s led his IPL franchise Chennai Super Kings.
Ashwin made his IPL debut under MS Dhoni’s leadership and progressed to playing Team India under latter’s captaincy. The Tamil Nadu spinner has closely observed Dhoni’s leadership skills and has witnessed how the wicketkeeper-batsman transformed CSK into such a successful team.
While talking to Harsha Bhogle on Cricbuzz live, Ashwin said, “I know a lot over the years, in terms of how CSK has come through, how MS has transformed the whole franchise and what it means to him.
“For me, CSK is a team that was driven by MS’ leadership traits. A lot of people talk about MS’ leadership. My leadership in itself is what is going to come out of me having been a leader in the last couple of years.”
Ashwin also highlighted the fact that Dhoni has been such a success as a middle-order batsman in the IPL and steered the side through troubled waters on numerous occasions but somehow his batting skills aren’t much talked about enough.
The Ranchi-cricketer has amassed 3309 runs in IPL batting at number four and five which is no mean feat.
“I think MS’s middle-order batsmanship is not talked about enough. In franchise cricket, or T20 cricket or any format of white-ball cricket, the most difficult art to master is middle-order batsmanship. A leader inspires a team by pulling them out from deep trenches, MS has done it way too many more times than anybody I have seen,” said Ashwin.
Explaining how the presence of the likes of Dhoni, Ravindra Jadeja and Dwayne Bravo helps CSK top-order to bat freely, Ashwin said Dhoni always encourages the players to enjoy themselves while he himself absorbs the pressure.
