Celebrating Captain Cool: 4 aspects of MS Dhoni's genius that are often overlooked

#3 MS Dhoni's reading of the game always helps his batting partner

MS Dhoni and Jadeja gave Indian fans hope against New Zealand in the 2019 WC semi-final

Many former and current Indian cricketers have stated that batting with MS Dhoni is akin to having a man on the inside in the opposition, due to the CSK skipper's uncanny reading of the game.

Ravindra Jadeja once said - 'If you want to learn batting, bat with MS Dhoni'. Hardik Pandya has often credited MS Dhoni for helping him learn the art of finishing. Suresh Raina has heaped praise on the blessing that is batting with MS Dhoni.

The lower-order batsman is always a step ahead of the opposition, and this is reflected not only in his batting and his advice but in his running between the wickets as well. Great runners between the wickets understand the abilities of their partners as well as their own, and there is no one better at this than MS Dhoni.

He makes batting with the tail look easy, death bowlers look amateur, and cricket look like a game of chess.

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#2 MS Dhoni controls the game with spinners in the middle-overs like no other captain

MS Dhoni has made part-times bowl their full quota many times

A pattern that has made itself known, both at CSK and the Indian team, is that MS Dhoni prefers spinners to pacers, and not without reason. But in the middle overs, which always determine the result of the game, MS Dhoni reaches his tactical best.

Both as a captain and as a player under Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni's accurate field placements and constant advice from behind the stumps have made even part-timers bowl their full quota of overs. The likes of Suresh Raina, Yusuf Pathan, and Kedar Jadhav have all excelled with Dhoni's backing.

Needless to say, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Harbhajan Singh have feasted on batsmen in the middle overs. Kuldeep Yadav has all but fallen at MS Dhoni's feet asking him to return to the Indian team.