Watch: "He Knew How To..." - Praveen Kumar Hails MS Dhoni As Greatest India Captain

Former Indian right-arm medium pacer Praveen Kumar who was very well known for his ability to swing the ball, claimed that MS Dhoni is hands down the best ever captain that the Indian team has ever seen.

Praveen Kumar hailed MSD for his special ability to know how to use a particular player, something that other Indian captains have somewhere lacked. It was under the captaincy of Dhoni that Praveen Kumar made his debut for team India back in 2007 in an ODI against Pakistan.

It will be fair to say that it was Dhoni who well and truly understood the value of Praveen who was given the nickname of “Magician” by his close ones due to his ball movement. He did not have much pace in his bowling but he knew how to trick batters using constant inswingers and outswingers.

His name in the domestic circuit is very well known and at one point in time he was UP’s main player. During the 2005-06 Ranji Trophy season, Praveen Kumar ended as Uttar Pradesh’s best player, racking up 41 wickets and contributing 386 runs with the bat.

His 41 wickets included four 5-wicket hauls, a 10-wicket haul, and 3 half-centuries. It was because of his performance that he received an India call-up and the rest is history. Praveen was quick to become India’s starter alongside Zaheer Khan and Ashish Nehra. His performance in the 2008 CB series in Australia still rings a bell in the minds of true Indian cricket fans.

If it wasn’t for his injury then he would have also been a part of India’s World Cup-winning side in 2011 and could have easily had a longer career. His International career came to an end in 2012 but Praveen Kumar will always be remembered as not just one of India’s best swing bowlers but also one of the most underachieving players.

He retired after 77 wickets in ODIs, 27 wickets in Tests, and 8 scalps in T20s. In the IPL circuit, Praveen finished with 90 wickets with an economy rate of 7.73.

“There Was No One Like Mahi Bhai” – Praveen Kumar On India’s Best Captain

Praveen Kumar thoughts on Dhoni's Captaincy pic.twitter.com/Px5WZpVzsB

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Recently, Praveen Kumar sat down for an interview with Lallantop, revealing plenty of things about himself and telling a lot of stories from his playing days. Among those topics was who is India’s best captain ever. Praveen in all his senses, did not think twice before saying MS Dhoni and also explained why.

“Mahi Bhai Ka Koi Jawaab Nahi. He knew how to use a player and when to use them. He used to set the field and ask the bowler to bowl. And that’s what good captain is, who gives the ball to the bowler and only asks to bowl, then it is up to the bowler to understand what he has to bowl.” 

“Yes, as bowler you can of course tell the captain, for instance, where should the slips be placed, a bit wider or not because only the bowler knows after pitching how much the ball could swing, but apart from that he knew.” – Praveen Kumar said.