MS Dhoni Is The Number One Wicketkeeper-Batsman We Have Ever Seen: Ben Dunk

Updated - 26 Jan 2021, 11:36 PM

Ben Dunk. Image Credit: Getty Images.

Table of Contents

Australia wicketkeeper-batsman Ben Dunk has said MS Dhoni is the number one wicketkeeper-batsman cricket has ever seen. Having taken inspiration from legendary Australian wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist during the early days of his career, Ben Dunk has said he wants to emulate MS Dhoni as he lavished praise on the former India skipper.

Ben Dunk was all praise for MS Dhoni’s ability to be calm and composed under intense situations during a game. The southpaw revealed that while playing for Melbourne Stars he often asks team manager Russell Radhakrishnan, who is also the team manager of the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Chennai Super Kings (CSK), as to how would Dhoni react in a particular situation.

“I think MS is really the number one wicket-keeper batsman we have ever seen. The way he has played over for a long period of time. He is amazing. I often ask Russell Radhakrishnan what would MS (Dhoni) do in situations of a game. His legacy, his record speaks for himself, he takes the game from a situation when win seems impossible and he is able to somehow win the game all the time. If I can play 5 to 10 percent as good as MS I will be very happy,” Ben Dunk was quoted as saying by ANI.

Ben Dunk further revealed that during his schooling days he stayed up late just to watch former England cricketer Kevin Pietersen bat in Ashes 2005.

“Growing up I looked up to Adam Gilchrist as a left-handed batsman and then I fell in love with Kevin Pietersen’s game during the 2005 Ashes series, I was in boarding school and stayed up late to watch the series. He played really well and I loved watching him,” said Ben Dunk.

Talking about MS Dhoni, the legendary cricketer retired from international cricket last year but is still active in IPL. He bowed out of international cricket as one of the game’s most decorated wicketkeeper-batsmen. The World Cup-winning captain is the third in the list of most dismissals as wicketkeeper. Apart from Mark Boucher and Adam Gilchrist, he is the only wicketkeeper to have more than 800 dismissals in international cricket.

With the bat, he is one of the very players in the history of the game who have scored more than 10,000 runs in ODIs. In Tests, he has scored nearly 5,000 runs while in T20Is, he has more than 1,600 runs.