Australia legend Matthew Hayden heaped praise on the legendary MS Dhoni, stating that he could easily be part of the Aussie dresisng room and lead Australia.

Matthew Hayden said MS Dhoni could easlily lead Australia. (Photo: Getty Images)

New Delhi: Australia legend Matthew Hayden lauded MS Dhoni for his exceptional leadership qualities and said the former India captain could easily lead Australia. Dhoni is the most successful captain in the history of Indian cricket having led the team to glory in several major tournaments, including two World Cups.

Dhoni led a young Indian team to their maiden T20 World Cup title in 2007 before bringing an end to the country’s 28-year-long wait for their 2nd ODI World Cup title in 2011. Dhoni became the first captain in the history of the game to win all three major limited-overs ICC trophies when he led India to a memorable triumph in Champions Trophy 2013.

He remains the only captain to have achieved the stunning feat and the 2013 Champions Trophy title remains India’s last major ICC trophy. India have managed to come close on several occasions failed to win a major ICC title since 2013. They will be hoping to end the long-standing drought under Rohit Sharma in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024.

Hayden, who played under Dhoni for the Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League (IPL), recently provided insights into his leadership style and heaped praise on the former India captain. Hayden called Dhoni a humble person, explaining how he can be part of an Australian dressing room and lead Australia easily.

The Australia legend, who watched Dhoni lead from close quarters at CSK and won the 2010 IPL title under him, revealed how the India legend works hard on building his team and never considers himself bigger than anyone else. He also revealed Dhoni never makes an effort to promote himself and there is no ego for whatever he has achieved in his career.

“He could easily sit in an Australian dressing room and he could easily captain that dressing room because he believes that he is not bigger than anyone else. He’ll collect bags, he will throw cricket balls. He is a very humble individual. And he works hard at a team. Not about promoting MS Dhoni. You will never hear him telling people how great he is or what he has achieved,” Hayden told Sports Vikatan.

“That’s MS Dhoni’s X-factor. You look at Australia and go oh 25 million people how do they win the World Cup against us, over a billion people? MS Dhoni just finds a way to galvanize people together and he does it in a way that is nothing about ego. Not about self-promotion. Coming from a very small village and finding a way to the hearts of India and the hearts of Chennai in particular. Thala will remain the leader of this iconic franchise (CSK) forever,” he added.

Has MS Dhoni played his last IPL for CSK?

There continues to be uncertainty as far as Dhoni’s future in the IPL is concerned. There were reports that IPL 2024 might be the legendary wicket-keeper batter’s final season in yellow for CSK, however, he is yet to officially announce his retirement from the league amid speculations. While millions of CSK fans want him to continue, the 42-year-old might have to take a call on his future soon with a mega auction lined up ahead of the next season.

Dhoni stepped down from captaincy and handed over the baton to Ruturaj Gaikwad ahead of IPL 2024. However, he was denied a fairytale farewell as CSK failed to reach the playoffs after losing their final league game against RCB. There were reports that Dhoni might take a decision about his future after undergoing a surgery in London later this year.