"He's like MS Dhoni" - When Misbah-ul-Haq made a massive statement on a Pakistan cricketer

Former India captain MS Dhoni is regarded as one of the greatest leaders in white-ball cricket. Under him, the Men in Blue won the inaugural T20 World Cup held in South Africa in 2007. Dhoni subsequently guided India to ODI World Cup glory at home in 2011. He became the first captain to win all three white-ball ICC trophies (a record he still holds) when India won the 2013 Champions Trophy in England.

Any captain in international cricket considers it a great honor to be compared to the legendary former Indian wicketkeeper-batter. Back in June 2017, former Pakistan skipper Misbah-ul-Haq made a massive claim when he compared then Pakistan captain Sarfaraz Ahmed to Dhoni.

Speaking to a television channel, Misbah made the statement after Pakistan defeated hosts England in the first semifinal of the 2017 Champions Trophy at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff. Hailing keeper-batter Sarfaraz, Misbah said:

“Every decision Sarfaraz took today was spot on. One thing is very important for Sarfaraz. He's like MS Dhoni. He's not temperament wise like him, he's aggressive - but he keeps his plans very simple like him.

“He sticks to the plans and the plus points... Happy for Sarfaraz, brilliant captaincy from him. The way he took decisions (and) bowling changes, he was excellent and ahead of the game. So proud to see him as a captain and Pakistan team performing like that," the former Pakistan batter added.

After crushing England by eight wickets in the 2017 Champions Trophy semifinal, Pakistan went on to thump arch-rivals India by 180 runs in the final played at the Kennington Oval in London. Batting first, Pakistan put up an imposing 338-4 on the board as Fakhar Zaman smashed 114 off 106 balls, while Mohammad Hafeez hit 57* off 37 balls.

In the chase, Team India were all-out for 158 in 30.3 overs. Hardik Pandya top-scored with 76 off 43, but none of the other batters came to the party. Dhoni was dismissed for a laborious four off 16 balls.

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India-Pakistan to clash in Champions Trophy 2025

Arch-rivals India and Pakistan will renew their cricketing rivalry when they meet in Dubai on February 23 in the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy Group A match. The Men in Blue will begin their campaign with a match against Bangladesh on February 20 and face New Zealand on March 2.

Pakistan will feature in the Champions Trophy 2025 opener against New Zealand at the National Stadium in Karachi on February 19. After the mega clash against India, they will face Bangladesh in Rawalpindi on February 27.