World Cup 2019: MS Dhoni Does Not Have "Many Weaknesses", Says CSK Batting Coach Mike Hussey

MS Dhoni, who played under the coaching of former Australia batsman Michael Hussey for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2019, would be hoping that his batting coach not to share his trade secrets with in-form Australia ahead of their World Cup 2019 encounter. India will take on Australia in a league stage World Cup match at Kennington Oval, London, on Sunday. Ahead of the clash, Michael Hussey made it clear that MS Dhoni does not have "too many weaknesses" but even if he has, the Australian won't share it with anyone.

Having crushed Afghanistan and put up an inspirational performance against a rampaging West Indies, Australia are expected to be more than a handful for India when the two teams square off at the Oval.

Hussey has played alongside Dhoni at CSK and as coach, watched him from close quarters in the franchise.

So, will Hussey share his insights on Dhoni with the Australian coaching team? "No chance. There aren't too many weaknesses there anyway," the former Australia batsman let out a chuckle as he spoke to PTI in an exclusive interview.

However, Hussey is confident that Australia will have their plans in place for the former India captain.

"All the teams do very thorough analysis on all the players so I am sure that they will have their plans for MSD and all the Indian players."

Asked what makes Dhoni tick when he is just a month short of 38, Hussey said it's the legend's awareness of his strengths.

"He is a great competitor and keeps his composure better than anyone especially under pressure. He is a very smart player, who is calculating. He knows his strengths and always sticks to them," said the member of the 2007 World Cup-winning Australian team.

Dhoni's strike-rate has been an issue for some time but Hussey doesn't find anything wrong with his strategy of taking some time before hitting the finisher mode.

"Not only does he (Dhoni) play according to the situation of the game but also likes to give himself some time at the start of his innings to get settled. Dhoni likes to take the responsibility of being there at the end to finish off the innings or the game."

He feels that Dhoni's mere presence and ability to take the game deep will keep the opposition on its edge.

Off late, Dhoni has had difficulty in hitting out against quality fast bowlers like Pat Cummins, Kagiso Rabada and Jofra Archer (in the IPL) but Hussey reckoned that it won't be a big deal.

(With PTI inputs)

Topics mentioned in this article

India Cricket Team Australia Cricket Team MS Dhoni World Cup 2019 Cricket Michael Hussey India vs Australia, Match 14