MS Dhoni Strategically Reads Game Better Than Ricky Ponting, Says Michael Hussey

MS Dhoni and Ricky Ponting are regarded as two of the best captains in the cricket history and their captaincy records at the highest level speak volumes of their prowess. However, the style of their leadership is quite contrasting. Ponting was known to under the skin of the opposition while Dhoni is hailed as ‘captain cool’ who is calm in the crunchiest of moments. Recently, former Australian and CSK batsman Michael Hussey, who played under both Dhoni and Ponting, compared the captaincy style of both the leaders and said that the former Indian skipper reads the game slightly better than the two time World Cup-winning captain. When MS Dhoni Urged Matthew Hayden to Not Use the Mongoose Bat in IPL 2010.

Speaking about Ponting, the southpaw revealed that the right-handed batsman had a great urge to win and he set the standards very high. "Ricky is just so driven and so competitive in everything that he does. He can be playing table tennis in the team room or he can be playing a game of marbles and Ricky would want to win. You’ll do a fielding drill at training and he wants to lead. He wants to set the highest standard," Hussey told Raunak Kapoor in a conversation on YouTube.

Hussey further said that the captaincy styles of both the leaders might have been different. However, they are mighty effective in their own ways. "If we had the worst nets in the world that we have to practice on, he will be the first one into the net and show that it's okay. He really leads from the front and he certainly backs his players 100%. That's probably where the similarity is with MS," the two-time IPL champion added.

Talking about Dhoni, Hussey hailed the wicket-keeper batsman’s ability to read the game and called his on-field moves ‘fantastic.’ He even gave an edge to Dhoni over Ponting in terms of strategizing a plan. "MS is a lot calmer. A lot more measured. And I would say he strategically reads the game slightly better than Ricky. Ricky was a good tactician as well. Fantastic, but the way MS makes some moves out there in the field, I'll be sort of thinking "where’s he going with this?” Inevitably it might work. How did this come from? He just backs his gut feel. Two different captains but both very effective in their own ways," Hussey explained.

Hussey has enjoyed some great moments under both the talismanic captains. He won the 2006 Champions Trophy, 2007 World Cup and 2009 Champions Trophy under Ponting. Also, he lifted the IPL title in 2010 and 2011 while playing for MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings (CSK).

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 09, 2020 04:26 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).