The discussion on who comes closest to MS Dhoni has taken an interesting turn and this time the answer is not Virat Kohli. Former India and CSK fast bowler Sudeep Tyagi has named Rohit Sharma as the player who reminds him of MS Dhoni mainly because of a rare and powerful quality.
MS Dhoni’s golden captaincy era and trophy cabinet
Recently, Tyagi has been full of praise for the legendary Indian wicketkeeper-batsman for his charismatic captaincy, under which the country won all the ICC titles. This included the 2007 T20 World Cup, 2011 World Cup, 2013 Champions Trophy and several ICC Test Championship crowns.
Dhoni also led Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to five IPL titles. He took Indian cricket to the next level with his calm nature under pressure, strategic genius and intuitive decision making ability. He made Kohli one of the best captains the game has ever seen.
Also read: Drop Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma if…: MS Dhoni’s blunt message to Gautam Gambhir on 2027 World Cup
Decision making ability that set Dhoni apart
Praising the leadership of the former Indian captain, Tyagi mentioned that it was his decision-making abilities that really made Dhoni different from everyone else. The former fast bowler said that Dhoni always knew what to do, when to do it and how fast to do it, especially when the match was tied.
Tyagi believes that Dhoni had the special ability to remain calm when everything was chaotic. In a fast format like T20 cricket, where situations change in seconds, Dhoni can think clearly and act quickly. The balance of calm mind and sharp thinking made him such a successful captain.
‘It’s God’s gift’
“The decision maker, I think his judgement, as I told you, the right time, the right decision, what decision to take as per the situation, he has a different art. You can say it is God’s gift. And the decisions he takes, 90% of the time, he is successful,” Sudeep Tyagi told CricketAddict.
He further added, “It is not always successful, but what I have seen, whenever I have played with him, is the decision he takes at the crucial moment – that is his biggest strength. That is why he has won so many World Cups and IPL trophies. What you have to do at the crucial moment and how fast you have to do it – that is very important. As they say in cricket, T20 is a fast game. You have to think fast about what to do, what to do. So, that is what makes him different.” Captain.”
Also read: Before T20 World Cup 2026, MS Dhoni gave a big warning to Gautam Gambhir
Why does Rohit Sharma remind Sudeep Tyagi of MS Dhoni?
Furthermore, Tyagi has said that he has not seen this level of decision-making in any other captain, but Rohit’s calm nature and smart choices during difficult moments remind him of Dhoni, even though the great wicketkeeper-batsman still stands in a league of his own.
He further added, “And I think that quality, I haven’t seen it in any other captain yet. I saw a little bit in Rohit that he has those qualities. But what makes him the best is his decision-making ability.” Notably, Rohit also won the ICC Champions Trophy in 2025 and the T20 World Cup in 2024 as captain.
MS Dhoni’s bold Ravichandran Ashwin call
Well, Tyagi recalled Dhoni’s bold move of asking Ravichandran Ashwin to bowl with the new ball in T20 cricket, saying that the former Indian captain was never afraid to try something different if he felt it could work.
He said, “The biggest thing – you must have seen that in T20 – for the first time Mahi Bhai used spinner Ashwin with the new ball. It was shocking for us and also for the world that a spinner was bowling with the new ball; it had happened earlier also, but it was a rare case.”
