"He changed the way India played cricket, that transition happened where Dhoni was a facilitator" - Sanjay Manjrekar hails former Indian captain

Former Indian batter Sanjay Manjrekar hailed MS Dhoni for changing the way the Men in Blue played cricket and their fortunes. Dhoni is India's most successful captain, with 178 wins in 332 matches across formats between 2007 and 2018.

The now 43-year-old also led India to titles in the 2007 T20 and 2011 ODI World Cups and the 2013 Champions Trophy. India also ascended to No.1 in Test cricket in the late 2000s under Dhoni.

Speaking on the SportifyWithPRG YouTube channel as quoted by Cricket.com, Manjrekar stated:

"He changed the way India played cricket, that transition happened where Dhoni was a facilitator. He wanted the team to win, India started chasing better in limited-overs cricket ... just the right kind of guy at that time."

Manjrekar, however, was quick to point out that Sachin Tendulkar was the most talented cricketer he had ever seen.

"At 16, a guy who just took a couple of months to get used to the highest level is just incredible. And very soon, started dominating inside one or two years, and a genuine 16-year-old. Nobody comes close when it comes to sheer talent."

Tendulkar remains the all-time leading run-scorer in international cricket with 34,357 runs in 664 matches. His 100 international centuries also remains the record for the most three-figure scores in cricket history.

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"The Indian batting will, I think, decide the fate of the series" - Sanjay Manjrekar on 2024-25 BGT

Sanjay Manjrekar expects a competitive series when India tour Australia for a marquee five-Test series, starting November 22. He feels the series outcome will hinge largely on India's batting.

Team India have won their last four bilateral Test series against Australia, including two in Australia.

"This series might just be a little more competitive than the last two tours, where Indian cricket reached a new high when they beat Australia. The Indian batting will, I think, decide the fate of the series." Manjrekar said via the aforementioned source.

Despite their recent struggles against India in Tests, Australia won the last meeting between the two sides in the 2023 World Test Championship (WTC) final.

The first of the five Tests starts in Perth with the remaining four matches to be played in Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, and Sydney.

India and Australia are the top two teams in the ongoing 2023-25 WTC cycle standings.