Sourav Ganguly: MS Dhoni’s six-hitting prowess ‘rare’

Bengaluru: Former India captain Sourav Ganguly has recalled MS Dhoni’s maiden ODI hundred against Pakistan in 2005 when he was promoted to bat at No. 3. According to Ganguly, Dhoni’s batting ability was shown to the world thanks to batting higher up the order. He also cited Sachin Tendulkar’s example.

“He (Dhoni) got the opportunity to bat at No.3 in Vizag, scored a superb hundred (148) and whenever he has got a chance to play more overs, he has scored big. Tendulkar wouldn't have become Tendulkar if he kept batting at No.6 because you get a handful of balls to play,” BCCI president Ganguly told Sportstak.

“There was Challenger Trophy, he was scored a hundred for my team while opening the batting, so I knew it,” Ganguly said.

Ganguly opined that a batsman like Dhoni was “rare”. “A player is made when you send him up the order, you can't make a player by playing him lower down the order. I always believe you can't become a big cricketer by sitting inside the dressing room. The kind of abilities, especially the six-hitting prowess he had, was rare.”

“When I had retired, I aired my views many times, that Dhoni should bat higher up the order,” Ganguly said.

Dhoni retired from international cricket on August 15. One of the greatest captains of the game, Dhoni made his mark as one of the best finishers in the limited-overs formats.

Dhoni is now in the UAE to play IPL 2020. He will lead Chennai Super Kings (CSK).