Former Pakistan captain explains what separates Dhoni from Kohli, Tendulkar and Gavaskar

Former Pakistan cricket team captain Rashid Latif has heaped praises on legendary Indian captain MS Dhoni, for his destructive three-ball cameo during the Chennai Super Kings vs Lucknow Super Giants match on April 3. Shedding his thoughts about the 41-year-old, Latif explained what separates MS Dhoni from several other great batsmen from India. Dhoni came into the crease with just five balls remaining in the innings and provided a treat to the CSK fans with two back-to-back sixes.

Meanwhile, speaking on his YouTube channel, "Look at the way he (MS Dhoni) batted. He faced just 2-3 balls and showed what he has always been capable of. He is the most famous player. We have seen Sachin Tendulkar, Sunil Gavaskar, even Virat Kohli. But Dhoni, and the way he conducts himself on the field and the following that he has, there is a different vibe and intensity to it altogether. Outstanding,”.

IPL 2023: MS Dhoni mesmerizes Chepauk crowd with twin sixes

Coming out to bat at No. 8 in the 19th over, the four-time IPL-winning skipper needed no time to get into business, getting off the mark with a superb six over the wide deep third man in the very first ball. He then smashed another maximum in the very next ball with a pull shot over the leg-side boundary rope and turned back the clock for the millions of cricketing fans in India. He did all this while facing LSG speedster Mark Wood, who is counted among the fastest bowlers in the world.

The fact that Dhoni hit consecutive sixes at Chepauk, on a day CSK were celebrating their homecoming made his knock even more special. In the meantime, Dhoni became the seventh batsman ever to score over 5000 runs in Indian Premier League history. After playing a total of 236 games since its inception in 2008, Dhoni has scored 5004 runs in 208 innings, at an average of 39.09 and strike rate of 135.53.

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The 41-year-old is the fifth Indian cricketer to score over 5000 IPL runs in his career after Virat Kohli, Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, and Suresh Raina. Kohli is the highest run-scorer in IPL history with 6706 runs in 224 games, while Dhawan sits second on the list with 6284 runs. Warner is third on the list with 5937 runs and is followed by Rohit (5880 runs), Suresh (5528 runs), and AB (5162 runs) respectively.