"Dhoni is a big stabilising force for India and his return means that Pakistan will have to work much harder to get that win over India tomorrow," he told reporters in Lahore.
India and Pakistan will lock horns in a marquee clash of the ICC World Twenty20 in Mirpur tomorrow.
Misbah said it will be a completely new game tomorrow irrespective of the fact that Pakistan had defeated India in the Asia Cup recently.
Misbah pointed out that Dhoni himself is a terrific T20 cricketer.
"I think Pakistan will need to focus a lot more on team work than individual performances to beat India after Dhoni's return. The good thing is that the conditions in Bangladesh are good for the Pakistani batsmen and they should be comfortable batting first or even chasing," he added.