Dhoni will retire as one of the greatest finishers of the game: Ponting

Former Australian cricketer and Delhi Capitals (DC) head coach Ricky Ponting was all praise for MS Dhoni after his side lost to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in Qualifier 1 of the IPL playoffs.

The captain cool was at his best in a brief cameo that reminded fans of his old days of being the best finisher in the game.

Dhoni slammed 18 off just six balls, at 300 strike rate to seal CSK’s entry into the final.

At the post-match presser, Ponting said he was “pretty sure” that Dhoni would finish the match for Chennai, saying he was “one of the greatest finishers of the game”.

“Look, I think he has been one of the greats, there is no doubt about that. I mean it was a situation tonight where we were thinking in the dugout, would Jadeja come next, would Dhoni come next”, he said. “I put my hand up straightway and said that I am pretty sure Dhoni will come out now and try to ice the game.”

Dhoni hit a six in the last ball of the 19th over and followed it up with three consecutive fours in the last over, ensuring CSK’s win with two balls to spare.

Also read: Will hopefully play my last game in Chennai: MS Dhoni

Ponting felt that DC’s bowlers didn’t bowl well against Dhoni. “Look we probably didn’t execute as well as we needed to against him in those last couple of overs. You know that if you miss, he is going to make you pay. He has done it for a long time now and I think our bowlers just missed their areas a little bit and he certainly made us pay.”

And that is why Ponting feels that Dhoni will be remembered as one of the greatest finishers of the game.

“When he is done and when he is retired, I think he will definitely be remembered as one of the greatest finishers of the game ever seen,” he said.