MS Dhoni's calling card was composure under pressure, reckons VVS Laxman

Former India batsman VVS Laxman on Tuesday heaped praise on batsman MS Dhoni, saying the wicket-keeper's calling card has always been his composure under pressure-cooker situations.

Laxman shared a photo of Dhoni as part of his initiative of paying tribute to his teammates who influenced him immensely.

"Blessed with the rare equanimity of viewing cricket as a sport and not a matter of life and death, @msdhoni's calling card was composure, especially under pressure. The 2007 World T20 triumph catalysed the stirring captaincy saga of a leader who talked through his deeds," Laxman tweeted.
 

Blessed with the rare equanimity of viewing cricket as a sport and not a matter of life and death, @msdhoni’s calling card was composure, especially under pressure. The 2007 World T20 triumph catalysed the stirring captaincy saga of a leader who talked through his deeds. pic.twitter.com/N2LukWwD3f

— VVS Laxman (@VVSLaxman281) June 9, 2020

Dhoni had made his ODI debut against Bangladesh in 2004, however, the then flamboyant wicket-keeper did not have a good outing as he scored just 19 runs in the three-match series.

But the wicket-keeper truly arrived in the series against Pakistan in 2005 as he scored 148 runs in the second ODI of the six-match series at Vishakapatnam.

Dhoni is the only captain to win all major ICC trophies (50-over World Cup, T20 World Cup, and Champions Trophy). Under his leadership, India also managed to attain the number one ranking in Test cricket.

He first led an inexperienced Indian side to the T20 World Cup triumph in 2007. He then took over the ODI captaincy, but he had to wait for leading the Test side as Anil Kumble was doing the duties in the longest format.
 

 

In December 2014, Dhoni announced his retirement from the longest format of the game and it gave a chance to the likes of Wriddhiman Saha to cement their place in the side for the longest format of the game.

Then in 2017, Dhoni handed over the captaincy reins to Virat Kohli in the 50-over format. However, the wicket-keeper enjoys a great camaraderie with Kohli and the duo often have been seen taking decisions together.

Dhoni was slated to return to the cricket field on March 29 in the IPL's opening match between CSK and Mumbai Indians. However, the tournament has been suspended indefinitely as a precautionary measure against coronavirus.

Thirty-eight-year-old Dhoni has been currently enjoying some time away from the game. He last played competitive cricket during the 2019 World Cup.

Dhoni had to face criticism for his slow batting approach during India's matches in the high-profile tournament.

Earlier this year, Dhoni did not find a place for himself in the BCCI's centrally contracted players list.

The board had released the list of central contract list of players for the period from October 2019 to September 2020.