MS Dhoni's contribution to Indian cricket cannot be matched, says Aakash Chopra

Former Indian Test opener and a renowned Hindi commentator, Aakash Chopra hailed praises for former Indian skipper MS Dhoni, after he surpassed the runs tally of Adam Gilchrist recently against West Indies in Antigua. Chopra claimed that his contribution with the bat as well as captaincy will remain unparalleled in Indian cricket.

In the third one-dayer against West Indies, after a speculative start on an uneasy pitch at Antigua, MSD stitched a vital partnership with Ajinka Rahane and powered the Indian total above 250, thanks to the late flourish with Kedar Jadhav. In the process, he broke the record of Adam Gilchrist tally of runs as a wicket-keeper to become the second highest run getter in ODIs, only behind Kumar Sangakkara.

Though, Chopra mentioned that surpassing Sangakkara’s tally of runs might be far-fetched but one has to take into account that Dhoni has spent his entire batting career batting lower down the order at number 5,6 and 7. Meanwhile, Gilchrist and Sangakkara have been top order batsman throughout their careers, which makes his feat even more special.

“Mahendra Singh Dhoni has gone past Adam Gilchrist and is now only behind Kumar Sangakkara in terms of runs scored by a wicketkeeper-batsman. Though surpassing Sangakkara won’t be that easy, This record means a lot, as both the former cricketers used to bat higher up the order. Off late one-day international cricket is all about the top three. Two openers and number three, all records belong to them. The game is all about them, batting is easy, you can bat all 50 overs and ball does not swing in the beginning. Batting is a lot easier now,” described Aakash Chopra according to Indian Express.

Chopra all praises for MS

“Both Sangakkara and Gilchrist are legends and we are talking about a league of extraordinary gentlemen. Meanwhile, Dhoni used to come at No. 5 o 6 and at times at 7. This is when his achievements will not be justified by his runs. He has done a lot more,” further augmented the renowned Hindi commentator. Adding to his accomplishment with the bat, his captaincy has brought laurels to the Indian cricket like no other leader. Under Dhoni’s captaincy, India won the T20 World Cup, ICC World Cup 2011, ICC Champions Trophy 2013, and took the Indian Test team to the top after several years.

“Usmein thoda sa aur tadka daal dijiye unki captaincy ka (then you add his role of a captain). Mahendra Singh Dhoni: The Captain. Just imagine the amount of burden this man has taken. You are the Captain! Wicketkeeper! Played the role of the batsman too. Then you win matches for India and also played the role of a finisher. MS Dhoni sahib aap mahan hai (Dhoni sir you are great) and nobody can match your contributions to Indian cricket,” concluded Aakash Chopra.