Recently retired Team India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin reckons MS Dhoni became one of the greatest captains in world cricket because he was a firm believer in doing the basics right. Ashwin added that Dhoni would back the bowler wholeheartedly but also admonish him if he bowled a loose ball to a new batter.
The 38-year-old announced his retirement from international cricket in Brisbane after the third Test of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The Tamil Nadu spinner first flourished under Dhoni’s captaincy for Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League and, subsequently, for India as well. The two will reunite at CSK during IPL 2025.
Having played a lot under Dhoni‘s captaincy for India and at the franchise level, Ashwin feels that most captains fail to do the basics right, which the Indian legend was extremely adept at. Speaking to former England captains Nasser Hussain and Michael Atherton on Sky Sports, Ashwin praised Dhoni and said (quoted by ANI):
The 38-year-old went on to explain how Dhoni gave full freedom to the bowlers but, at the same time, also kept a close check on them. He elaborated:
Ashwin is the third-leading wicket-taker for CSK in T20 cricket. In 121 matches from 2009 to 2015, he claimed 120 scalps at an average of 23.70 and an economy rate of 6.66, with a best of 4-18.
Giving another example of Dhoni’s genius as a captain, Ashwin credited the legendary keeper-batter for pacer Tushar Deshpande’s success in IPL 2023. Dhoni led CSK to a record-equaling fifth IPL title last season, with Deshpande as the leader of the attack. The right-arm pacer claimed 21 wickets in 16 matches to play a key role in Chennai’s triumph. Ashwin explained:
Apart from leading CSK to five IPL wins, Dhoni also captained India to victory in the 2007 T20 World Cup and the 2011 ODI World Cup. His last ICC triumph as captain came when India lifted the Champions Trophy in 2013.
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