Former Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhtar recently praised the Indian cricketers for their remarkable performances in the home ODI series against Australia. In this recent talk, Akhtar revealed that he felt the Indian National Cricket Team has finally found the replacement of ex-skipper MS Dhoni.
Team India has started the new year with the back-to-back two limited-overs series victories at home. First, they beat Sri Lanka in the three-match T20I series by the 2-0 margin. Now, most recently, they played the tough home ODI series against Australia and won that three-match series by 2-1. Though the visitors Australia thrashed them by ten wickets in the opening game of the ODI series, the hosts impressively made a comeback by winning the last two matches.
After the recent ODI series between India and Australia, Akhtar claimed that India probably got the replacement of Dhoni. While the former Indian captain Dhoni was famous for his various roles, Akhtar has pointed out the finisher’s role.
Manish Pandey fit enough to replace MS Dhoni:
The former Pakistan fast bowler believes that Manish Pandey seems to be fit as the replacement of veteran Dhoni. Akhtar also praised Shreyas Iyer while naming him as a ‘complete player’.
Shoaib Akhtar said on his YouTube channel, “I think India has probably got Dhoni’s replacement, they have found a good fit in Manish Pandey. Shreyas Iyer too looks a complete player and these add depth to India’s batting.
“These players have played a lot in the IPL, they know how to handle pressure, they do not care about big names and hence, end up playing important innings.”
These players understand the game, they keep discussing the game – Shoaib Akhtar
The 30-year-old Manish Pandey didn’t get many roles in the home ODI series against Australia. However, he successfully finished the ODI series-decider at Bengaluru with a boundary and remained unbeaten on eight runs.
Earlier, during the T20I series decider against Sri Lanka at Pune, Pandey scored crucial 31* (18 balls) when the hosts were struggling.
On the other hand, Shreyas Iyer has also impressed in his early international career. Though he recently struggled with the bat, he played a very good finishing knock (44*) during the Bengaluru ODI against Australia.
The ‘Rawalpindi Express’ Akhtar is impressed with their characters during and after the game time. He liked how Iyer and Pandey were discussing after successfully finishing that match.
He added, “I think it was a great series, characters were shown, players were willing to fight. Even when the innings ended, Iyer and Pandey were speaking about the batting while they were walking off the field. These players understand the game, they keep discussing the game.”
In conclusion, Akhtar also praised India’s opening batsman Rohit Sharma. The Indian limited-overs vice-captain scored the match-winning 119 runs (128 balls) during Bengaluru ODI.