Ashish Nehra Names The Player Who Reminds Him Of MS Dhoni

There is absolutely no denying the fact that replacing MS Dhoni would be a herculean task for Indian cricket. The former India completely redefined the role of a wicketkeeper in the team. Before him, the wicketkeepers were all about being good behind the stumps and a handy batsman.

However, MS Dhoni changed it all for good. He is one of the most decorated wicketkeeper-batsman in the history of the game. 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. And if one mentions his record as a captain then his achievements become even more attractive.

No surprises then that replacing the legendary player would be a huge task for India. However, former India pacer Ashish Nehra believes that India has already got the man who can do the task. The ex-pacer believes Rishabh Pant is the man who can replace MS Dhoni. Recalling Dhoni’s early days in the game, Ashish Nehra said that Rishabh Pant’s journey reminds him of the ex-India skipper.

“Dhoni wasn’t the best wicketkeeper around when he first came in. All those who played before him were really good. He was certainly not a Kiran More or a Nayan Mongia. So it’s not that he was miles ahead of his contemporaries as a wicketkeeper, but he made for a better package. His discipline, passion, composure and confidence made him different,” Ashish Nehra told The Times of India.

Dhoni may not have been the best-looking batsman or a sound wicketkeeper but he certainly was the best wicketkeeper-batsman. He worked hard on his game, knew what work for him and grew as an impeccable wicketkeeper. I don’t see anyone coming close to the impact he has had as a wicketkeeper-batsman except for Rishabh Pant. Pant’s journey – though it is still early days – reminds me a lot of Dhoni,” he added.

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