Mahendra Singh Dhoni Is One of the All Time Greats in ODIs, Says Ravi Shastri
Ravi Shastri has said that Mahendra Singh Dhoni's record in ODIs is simply outstanding and no one can come close to his record.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni will be featuring in his first international match after three months. He will be heading into a Indian dressing room that has seen a resurgence under the leadership of Virat Kohli. Under Kohli's captaincy, India finally broke their overseas drought when they won a series in Sri Lanka after 22 years. (Mahendra Singh Dhoni Comes Under the Scanner In New Indian Set-up)
With Dhoni coming back at the helm of Indian cricket for the T20I and ODI series against South Africa, the pressure will be on Dhoni to maintain India's success. However, Indian cricket team director, Ravi Shastri, has backed Dhoni by saying that the Indian limited overs skipper's success speaks for himself.
"Dhoni is one of the all time greats of ODI cricket. His record and his captaincy in this version are simply outstanding. I don't think anyone can come close to his records and his captaincy in ODIs," Shastri said.
When asked whether there will be some hassles in the transition from Kohli's captaincy to Dhoni's captaincy, Shastri brushed aside those suggestions. "Dhoni takes over a job he is doing. Nothing is new. Everything falls into place. They are playing under a champion," Shastri said.
Dhoni has a wonderful record in ODIs, scoring 8620 runs in 265 games at an average of 52.24 and a strike-rate of 88.95. His captaincy record has also been fabulous for India, notching up 101 wins in 181 games with a success rate of 60.58 percent. He is the only captain to have won all three ICC tournaments as skipper, starting with the 2007 World Twenty20 title, followed by the 2011 World Cup victory at home and the 2013 Champions Trophy.
When asked about his own challenges as team director, Shastri said the aim will be for the team to maintain consistency over the next few months.
"It is a challenge and I have taken it up as a challenge. This is a brilliant team. The endeavour will be to maintain the consistency as long as I am in charge." Shastri also said that his interactions with India A coach Rahul Dravid will also help the team plan for the future.
"There must be a talent who is ready at the top-level. These are the things that I have to interact with Rahul Dravid. In his short period, the effort that Dravid has put in for India A has been brilliant," Shastri remarked.