Ravi Shastri on MS Dhoni: This man is second to none

Dhoni bid adieu to international cricket, posting “consider me retired” on his Instagram page. He will play in the upcoming IPL for CSK in the UAE.

Shastri singled out Dhoni for his stumpings and run outs.

As the tributes poured in for the just-retired M.S. Dhoni, Indian cricket team coach Ravi Shastri felt the former captain has revolutionised the game for times to come.

Dhoni bid adieu to international cricket on Saturday, posting “consider me retired” on his Instagram page. He will continue to play in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for Chennai Super Kings (CSK).

“This man is second to none. And coming from where he did he changed cricket for all times to come. And his beauty is he did it in all formats,” Shastri told

India Today .

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“For me what stood out was his stumpings and his run outs. He had such fast hands that he was at times faster than any pickpocket,” he said.

Dhoni is the only international skipper to lead a team to the ICC World Cup, Champions Trophy and the T20 World Cup titles. He also led India to the No. 1 ranking in Tests and CSK to three IPL titles.

Describing his achievements, Shastri said, “T20 - he has won a World Cup and multiple IPL titles. 50 overs - he has won a World Cup. Test cricket- he has taken India to the number one position in the world. Played 90 Test matches."

“And he always took life as it came. From his days in Kharagpur to his days as an Indian cricketer he was always in the moment. And in retirement also he has moved on.

“As I said he is second to none,” he added.

The former cricketer said Dhoni set a new bar in wicketkeeping despite not being a “natural“.

”...but (he) was effective as hell. Look at the impact he had...The batsman wouldn’t even realise that Dhoni had taken the bails off and that’s something that added to his aura.

“In any list of cricket’s greatest, not greats but the greatest, you have to include this man,” he signed off.