ICC World Cup 2019 | MS Dhoni crucial for India, says Nasser Hussain

MS Dhoni had started his year with a bang in the ODI series in Australia as he struck three consecutive half-centuries in as many innings and even remained not out on two occasions. He played a pivotal role in India's victory and thereby, was awarded the Man of the Series. He continued his good run with an unbeaten 48 in New Zealand, followed by an unbeaten 59 against Australia. Former England captain Nasser Hussain has heaped praise on the 37-year-old and dismissed all discussions surrounding his waning skills as a finisher.

“MS Dhoni is hugely important for India's chances at the World Cup. There are certain cricketers around the world who rise to the occasion and are big-match players and Dhoni is one of them. The bigger the occasion and the more the pressure he is under, Dhoni is the one who seems to soak up that pressure and pace the innings brilliantly,” Hussain said, reported Times Now.

“Some have argued that his skills in 50-over cricket have been on the wane slightly but I'm not so sure about that.”

The wicket-keeper batsman has featured in 10 games out of 12 for Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League, missing out twice due to injury concerns. Despite coming in down the order, he is the top-scorer for his side with 314 runs at the moment and has remained not out four times across seven innings. The CSK skipper scored his career-best 84 not out while chasing in the encounter against Royal Challengers Bangalore on April 21. He even scored 75 off 46 deliveries to take CSK home against Rajasthan Royals on March 31. Hussain remarked that he is still among the greatest finishers of the game.

“As we have seen recently, he still knows how to handle pressure situations and read the game-situation and when you are going into massive tournaments like the World Cup you want guys like MS Dhoni with you and there is no doubt that he's one of the greatest finishers there has ever been in the game of cricket,” expressed the 51-year-old.