'A leader who talked through his deeds': VVS Laxman heaps praise on MS Dhoni

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VVS Laxman on Tuesday hailed MS Dhoni's leadership quality, saying that he was a captain "who talked through his deeds."

Former Indian cricketer VVS Laxman on Tuesday paid his tribute to India's wicketkeeper-batsman MS Dhoni. Laxman, in a series of tweets on his profile, has been paying his respects to his former teammates who have made a significant contribution to the growth of Indian cricket over the years.

Laxman shared the dressing room with Dhoni for a large part in the latter's Test career. Talking about Dhoni's leadership, Laxman said that he was a captain who "talked through his deeds."

"Blessed with the rare equanimity of viewing cricket as a sport and not a matter of life and death, @msdhoni’s calling card was composure, especially under pressure. The 2007 World T20 triumph catalysed the stirring captaincy saga of a leader who talked through his deeds," Laxman wrote.

MS Dhoni, who made his debut in 2004, became the captain of the Indian team for the first time in 2007 when he led the side to a historic T20 World Cup victory.

The wicketkeeper took over the captaincy in all the three formats soon, leading the side to 2011 World Cup win and 2013 Champions Trophy victory - becoming the first captain to win all the three ICC tournaments. ('I deserve apology': Sammy posts video on facing degrading slur at SRH)

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Under Dhoni's leadership, India also became the no.1 Test side in the world. The core of the Indian team at the time included Laxman, as well as players like Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Harbhajan Singh and Zaheer Khan, among others.

Dhoni represented India in 90 Tests, announcing his retirement from the format in 2014. He scored 4,876 runs in Tests, scoring six centuries and 33 half-centuries. In ODIs, he has played 350 matches so far, scoring 10,773 runs.

Dhoni last appeared for India in the 2019 World Cup and has since made himself unavailable for selection. He was set to make a comeback to professional cricket with the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League. However, the tournament remains suspended indefinitely due to the coronavirus outbreak.