Pragyan Ojha Praises MS Dhoni, Calls Him A 'Bowler's Captain'

Former Indian international Pragyan Ojha in his recent interview lifted the lid on the fact why bowlers praise MS Dhoni. Ojha also hailed Dhoni for being a ‘bowler’s captain’ as he understood what a bowler needs.

While Dhoni is yet to feature for Team India under Virat Kohli, since the 2019 World Cup semifinal exit, Pragyan did hang up his boots earlier this week, at the age of 33.

Moreover, the spin wizard made his debut for the national team four years after Dhoni’s international bow in 2004.

As a consequence, Ojha played the majority of his matches for team India, under the leadership of Dhoni. After retiring from all formats of cricket, the spinner reflected on his career in a recent interview, whilst also revealing his opinion of Dhoni’s legacy in Indian cricket.

Pragyan Ojha reveals why MS Dhoni was such a celebrated figure in his tenure as a skipper:

Back in the days when the 37-year-old was captain of the Indian team, he would get praised from his bowlers religiously. When quizzed about the same, Ojha revealed that Dhoni understood his bowlers, which is the prime reason why he was a celebrated figure for the Indian bowling unit.

“He (Dhoni) was a bowler’s captain. I strongly believe that a bowler should have a captain who understands him. A lot of bowlers praise Dhoni because of the dimensions he gives you, things that he helps you with like placing the field, keeping your mind clear which are important when you play high-intensity games,” Ojha said.

The 33-year-old spinner bagged a Man of the Match award in his final appearance for India against the West Indies — by scalping 10 wickets in his spell, in 2013.

Interestingly, it was also the final game for another legend, Sachin Tendulkar.

While Ojha has called time on his career, Dhoni is preparing to make a comeback to the national team, as he returns to training on March 2 for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020.