Ravi Shastri praises MS Dhoni as one of the greatest ODI players of all time

There is no question that MS Dhoni will go down as one of the greatest limited overs players of all time. Dhoni is very close to reaching 10,000 runs in ODI cricket, which is a remarkable feat in itself, taking into consideration his batting position.

For a man who rarely batted in the top order, Dhoni’s entry into the 10,000 runs club will be celebrated widely. Indian coach, Ravi Shastri recently came out and spoke out in support for MS Dhoni, as the coach defended the great man from his critics.

“He’ll (Dhoni) go down as one of the greatest one-day players the world has ever seen. And when you have that kind of experience, the level of fitness and what he’s maintained.

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“And like I said, there is no substitute for experience. That cannot be bought or sold in the market,” Shastri told India Today.

“When it comes to finishing a game or batting in the final overs, there have been very few better than him in the history of the game.

“When you have that cushion of someone like him coming at No. 5, 6 or even 7 it makes a big big difference,” Shastri added.

Sourav Ganguly also came out in support of Dhoni and credited Virat Kohli for this.

“What Virat Kohli has done for MS Dhoni is a learning experience for everyone,” Ganguly told India Today.

“Not many times in teams do current captains look after the former captains like this. There have been times when former captains have been pushed aside.

“But Kohli, that’s why for me, is such a fantastic leader. He creates a team, he builds a team and he takes everyone along.

“Look at the faith he has in Dhoni, in Rohit Sharma, in Shikhar Dhawan and in Hardik Pandya. So, I keep saying as long as Kohli as leader of Team India, I have got lot of hopes from this side,” he said.