Michael Hussey Hails Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Calls Him An Inspirational Leader
Jan 8, 2017 at 1:36 PM
One must be too good if he’s receiving words of appreciation from Mr. Cricket himself, Michael Hussey. Speaking to Times of India recently, former Australia batsman said Mahendra Singh Dhoni was an inspirational leader, who led from the front and gave his players the belief to back themselves, even in tough situations.
Having played under Dhoni for the now suspended Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Chennai Super Kings (CSK) for five years, Hussey is aware of what MS thinks and how he goes about treating his fellow teammates, both on and off field. Talking about his unique traits as a captain, the southpaw said Dhoni had the ability to make his players “realize” that cricket was “not the most important thing” in a person’s life, which gave everyone much more freedom to express themselves on the field.
“Dhoni was an inspirational leader and I loved playing under him. He gave the players perspective and made them realize that though cricket is important, it is not the most important thing in a person’s life.”
Talking about MSD’s contribution as the India captain, Hussey said he changed the Indian cricket in a way, putting everything on the line to see his side attain heights across all formats. He said Dhoni’s capability to do wonders on the field by remaining calm fetched him accolades over the years.
He further claimed Dhoni helped players to get over pressure situations and made them relax and enjoy the game than just pushing them to gather better results, which in a manner was generous on his part.
“He has helped the Indian team to so much success in all forms of the game, but an even better person with a great family. His calmness…he had this amazing ability to help players relax, enjoy the game and not put too much pressure on themselves, which is not that easy in a place like India where cricket is a religion.”
Putting his points forward on his decision to quit limited-over captaincy, Hussey believes the call was bang-on as it’s the right time for Virat Kohli to lead India to more glories under his captaincy.
“He obviously thinks this is the best time for the team and for Indian cricket to move on”, he concluded.