Former India captain and current wicketkeeper MS Dhoni maybe in the twilight of his stellar career, but that hasn't stopped him from getting admiration from all over the world, not in the least from his opponents on the field. Dhoni is currently in Australia gearing up to play the 3 ODIs which are due to start from January 12 but if one is to ask the opposition Aussies, they are already in awe of the legendary cricketer.
Australian batsman Usman Khawaja appreciates the way MS is relaxed on the field and believes that he 'loves' playing cricket with the latter.
"He's obviously a legend of a cricketer but he's such a good bloke and so relaxed," Khawaja told cricket.com.au.
"I love playing cricket with him and on the same team because I think we're quite similar in the way we play. He concentrates on the controllable, doesn't worry about the rest, doesn't let a lot faze him, understands there's a lot of up and downs in cricket and I think he's experienced that throughout his career and the way he plays and the way he goes about it."
Fast bowler Pat Cummins who was the star performer for the hosts in the just-concluded Test series believes that Dhoni is a great ambassador for the game due to the way he conducts himself on the field.
"I think my main memory of Dhoni is just his persona on the field. You've seen him winning IPL tournaments, World Cups, Test matches, incredible victories, and he just picks up the stump and walks off (like) nothing happened," said Cummins.
"Winning games from impossible positions and he just seems like the most level, calm captain when he's captaining, just play, nothing seems too big a deal, and just can pull things out of his hat like no one else.
"He's a great ambassador for cricket, being an idol to a billion Indian people back home and he's hugely respected around the world."
Even Tim Paine, the Australian Test captain, said that he loves watching the 37-year-old on the field, be it in any capacity as he makes things very simple in this helter-skelter age.
"I think he is one of the best wicketkeeper-batsmen to ever play the game. He is right up there, no doubt about that, particularly in white-ball cricket," said Paine.
"Hopefully he doesn't get too many runs but it's certainly going to be nice to have him here for a little bit. I'm happy I won't be out there against him.
"What I do love about watching him play, whether he is batting or keeping and captaining, he keeps things very simple. That's just from what I can see. Cricket is a very complicated game and I've enjoyed watching him really simplify it still in this modern age.
"He just looks like he does the basics pretty well, stays real relaxed and - at his age from the pressure he would be under in India and around the world - he looks like he just loves playing cricket," Paine said.
