MS Dhoni single-handedly raised the bar and got an inexperienced team to win titles: Sanjay Manjrekar

Former Indian cricketer and commentator Sanjay Manjrekar has revealed that the skillset MS Dhoni possesses is a unique one when compared to the other Indian captains to date, giving the examples of the ICC T20 World Cup 2007 and ICC Champions Trophy 2023 title victories. 

Speaking on Stalin Mathias’ YouTube channel, Manjrekar asserted that MS Dhoni single-handedly raised the bar of the Indian team and propelled the inexperienced team in the 2007 WC to lift the title.

“I would rank Imran Khan from the days gone by, and after that, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, as to what he was able to do as a captain. I thought he single-handedly raised the bar for the team and got even, maybe an average team sometimes, an inexperienced team, for example, in that 2007 T20 World Cup to go and win titles,” Manjrekar said on Stalin Mathias’ YouTube channel.

“And I think he was different when it came to performances on the big stage. He played the final just like he would play one of the earlier league matches. I think the moment, just that whole stay that you have for the big finals, can get to a lot of players and definitely gets to a few captains as well. MS was different in that regard,” he added.

Furthermore, the former cricketer also heaped praise on the former Indian Test captain Virat Kohli for his exceptional performances against Australia Down Under in 2014. Manjrekar stated that he felt proud watching Kohli bat on that particular tour.

“Virat Kohli, for me, is at the top. Indian cricket has had mentally strong greats, not always demonstrative. Their aggression from Sunil Gavaskar, Tendulkar, and Kapil Dev was subtle. Virat Kohli was one of the first I noticed, during the 2014 Australia trip after England, where he struggled. He scored four centuries, took on Australian players head-on verbally, and walked the talk,” Manjrekar observed.

“And I thought it was great because Indian cricket didn’t have a leading figure like this. Pakistan had Javed Miandad, who took on Dennis Lillee and was also a great batter. That was nice to see. It’s not just about how you get runs, but how many you get, that’s the real value. Virat Kohli did both, and I remember feeling very proud at the time,” he concluded.

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