MS Dhoni will become a better player post captaincy, claims Sourav Ganguly
Sourav Ganguly believes that MS Dhoni will become a better player post captaincy, now that he does not have the additional burden of responsibilities. Ganguly, however, admitted that he still has his doubts about Dhoni’s abilities in the T20 format, but called him a champion in the ODI format.
Ganguly, who was speaking to India Today in an exclusive interview believed that the former Indian skipper would benefit from batting up the order, as it gives him more time to play himself in. "He felt that he was more useful at No.6; I felt differently - the pressure is no different but at that time, you have more deliveries," Ganguly said.
"A captain sees you differently from the way you see yourself. You need a captain who can push you. MS Dhoni will become a better player post captaincy."
Dhoni struggled for form in the initial stages of IPL, scoring just 61 runs in 5 innings, but returned to his very best with a match-winning knock of 61* off 34 balls against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Saturday, after coming to bat at no. 4.
But for all of the wicket keeper's exploits in the ODI’s Ganguly doubted Dhoni’s abilities in T20’s given that he had scored only one international half-century in 10 years in the shortest format. "I am not too sure if Dhoni is a good T20 player. He is a champion ODI player but when it comes to T20 cricket, in 10 years, he has got one fifty and that's not the best record."
‘Dada’ came under a lot of criticism after Dhoni’s knock on Saturday, but he sportingly took it in his stride and even compared it to the criticism he received to when he was dropped from the Indian side in 2006. "MS Dhoni has created that sort of a fan-following. People will say - why do you criticize him? It was the same for me when I was dropped in 2006. I don't have any problem with that."