MS Dhoni is still world's best ODI finisher: Ian Chappell

The jury is still out on whether Mahendra Singh Dhonis much acclaimed finishing powers are on the wane or not but former Australia captain Ian Chappell still considers the World Cup winning former skipper as the best finisher in 50over formatDhoni was recently awarded the Man of the series for his matchwinning knocks which helped India win their maiden ODI series in Australia Chappell saluted the former India skippers nerve and longevityNobody has Dhonis nerve for finishing off victories Many times Ive thought Hes left it too late this time only to be amazed as he produced a couple of powerful shots to bring India a nailbiting victory Chappell wrote in his column in ESPNcricinfo His outward calm is no illusion since his tactical adeptness in these situations is proof his brain continues to work perfectlyDrawing a comparison with Michael Bevan who is considered to be one of the greatest finisher of the game Chappell said Dhoni has surpassed the former Australian number sixWhere Bevan finished matches with fours Dhoni does so with sixes The one area running between wickets where youd expect the fleetfooted Bevan to have an advantage is debatable because even at age 37 Dhoni is among the quickest in the game he wrote Even allowing for improved bats and the advantage of playing T20 cricket statistically Dhoni is superior to Bevan There can be no argument Dhoni is the best ODI finisher Of late Dhoni has often been criticised for his slow innings but the former India skipper silenced the doubters when he unleashed a massive six at Adelaide to seal the third ODI and the series 21His trademark lofted ondrive comfortably cleared one of the longer Adelaide Oval boundaries to settle the issue in that particular finishing effort Chappell wroteIt was a clear reminder that any thought that his power might be waning was only wishful thinking on the part of opponents That he achieved the feat in stifling heat only added to the lustre of his performanceRegarding the best ODI batsman debate Chappell feels Virat Kohli will surpass legends like Viv Richards Sachin Tendulkar and AB de Villiers and end his career as the Sir Donald Bradman of ODI batsmenKohli reminds me of Richards in his approach to ODI batting he eschews fancy shots and relies on a wide range of traditional strokes As the only one of this quartet still playing ODIs Kohli already heads some important statistical categories he wroteIf he were to continue at his current rate an unlikely outcome as he ages he would pass Tendulkars aggregate with more than one hundred innings to spare and nearly 20 centuries in advance of the Little Master If he even came close to achieving these amazing feats there could be no argument Kohli would be the Sir Donald Bradman of ODI batsmenCatch up on all the latest sports news and updates here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updatesThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever