MS Dhoni changed the way India played cricket, says former India cricketer and teammate of Sachin Tendulkar, WATCH video

Former India cricketer and now commentator Sanjay Manjrekar sat down with Pranav Gandhi on his show, SportifyWithPRG, to give his thoughts on numerous Indian cricket’s finest players over time, the way forward for One-Day Internationals (ODIs), India’s prospects at the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and light-hearted anecdotes from his playing days.

Manjrekar believed former India and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) skipper MS Dhoni laid the foundation for Team India’s winning attitude in international cricket. Indian men’s cricket team are currently in No. 1 spot within the World Test Championships (WTC) points table and wish just three wins in their next eight Tests to qualify for their third successive WTC final.

It transform Dhoni who won the maiden T20 World Cup title in 2007 and it took Rohit Sharma the other 17 years to repeat the feat in 2024. Dhoni also led India to win within the 2011 ODI World Cup, bringing home the trophy after 28 years.

“He changed the manner India played cricket, that transition took place where Dhoni transform a facilitator. He wanted the team to win, India started chasing better in limited-overs cricket … just the ideal kind of guy at that time,” Manjrekar said about Dhoni.

Watch Sanjay Manjrekar speak about MS Dhoni and Sachin Tendulkar HERE…

On the foremost talented player he has played with or watched, Manjrekar didn’t hesitate to call the enduring Sachin Tendulkar. “Must be Tendulkar on pure talent. At 16, a guy who just took a pair of months to get used to the ideal level is only incredible. And very soon, started dominating within one or two years, and a real 16-year-old. No person comes close when it involves sheer talent,” Manjrekar said.

On the way forward for ODIs

Manjrekar also addressed the uncertain future of one-day cricket, specifically its struggle to cope with relevance amid the upward thrust of alternative formats. He pointed to the World Cup as a critical specialise in ODIs’ allure. “The issue with one-day cricket is truly the World Cups. Because anytime you’ve had that World cup ever four years its turned out to be a success event, and the kind of matches now we have had, viewership would have hit the roof within the last two finals … the bilaterals, there may very well be no interest there, it’s a boring format … I was once once put off 50 overs cricket 15 years back”, he remarked.

Nevertheless, Manjrekar suggested a imaginable change in format may maybe revive interest in ODIs. “The handiest way 50-overs will perchance have some connect or change into a bit more renowned is if it’s made into 40 overs and the World Cup year we are going to be in a position to have, perchance for the teams to get used to it, 50 overs”.

Anecdotes from his career

In a lightweight-hearted memory, Manjrekar spoke about Ajay Jadeja’s carefree personality. “Ajay transform the sort of famous person at the time, and he had this way with people … We were going to New Zealand. We were in that lounge just earlier than you go to the gate and the flight transform delayed forever … He said we ought to always go to ‘Ghungroo,’ which transform a nightclub … We truly went out, spent a pair of hours, and came back to go through security and immigration again. They were different times.”

On the upcoming Border Gavaskar Trophy

Manjrekar predicted that the upcoming edition of the Border Gavaskar may perhaps be more competitive than up during the past times. He said, “This series may maybe just be a bit more competitive than the last two tours, where Indian cricket reached a new high after they beat Australia. The Indian batting will, I feel, come to a decision the fate of the series.”