MS Dhoni's Self-Belief Makes Him The Greatest Finisher Of All-Time: Mike Hussey

It is fair to say that one of the most difficult positions to bat in white-ball cricket is the late middle-order. And that is because, more often than not, the batsman coming in at five or six does not have any time to get himself in. He has to mold his game according to the situation and when it comes to a run-chase, the task becomes even more arduous.

During the course of the last 49 years, world cricket has witnessed a plethora of great finishers. While Australia’s Michael Bevan revolutionized the role in the 1990s, Indian World Cup-winning captain MS Dhoni has succesfully carried Bevan’s legacy forward in the 21st century.

And, another great finisher of the modern era Mike Hussey has now hailed MS Dhoni as the greatest finishers of all time.

One of the greatest qualities of MS Dhoni was the calmest that he ensued when faced with the trickiest of the situations. Dhoni believed in taking the game deep before launching a whirlwind attack, once the bowlers started to feel the heat. And, Michael Hussey, someone who has seen Dhoni from close quarters during his time at CSK, revealed that he himself learned that art from the former Indian captain.

Also Read: 5 Best Memories Of The Captain MS Dhoni

MS Dhoni’s “unbelievable power” and “self-belief” makes him the greatest of all time in that role.”- Mike Hussey

“Dhoni can keep his cool and make the opposition captain blink first. Dhoni also has unbelievable power. He knows that when he needs to clear the ropes he can do it. He has that kind of self-belief. Honestly, I didn’t have that kind of belief in myself.” Michael Hussey told Sanjay Manjarekar on ESPNCricinfo’s Videocast.

He added “I tried not to let it reach 12 or 13 runs an over. I learned this from MS Dhoni. He is incredible. He believes that he who panics last wins the game. So Dhoni would keep his cool, and keep it longer because the pressure is on the bowler as well.”

MS Dhoni, during his 15-year-old ODI career successfully finished a plethora of games for India

Who can forget the six that he hit off Clint McKay during a 2012 ODI against Australia when India needed 12 off 4 balls or the 15 runs off 5 balls that he scored off Shaminda Eranga in the 2013 Celkon Mobile Cup final?

Overall, Dhoni was a part of 112 successful run-chases for the Men in Blue where he accumulated 2556 runs at an average of 91.28 with the help of 19 half-centuries and one three-figure score.

Also Read: MS Dhoni Was A Strong, Silent Type As A Leader, Says Paddy Upton