Ashish Nehra explains how MS Dhoni succeeded despite stiff competition for the wicketkeeper's spot

Former India pacer, Ashish Nehra recently expressed his thoughts on how MS Dhoni leapfrogged the likes of Dinesh Karthik and Parthiv Patel to cement his spot as the wicketkeeper of the Indian team.

Dhoni, who made his debut against Bangladesh in 2004, did not have the brightest of starts to his career. He took time to settle down in international cricket, amassing just 24 runs from his four innings, before a blazing 123-ball 148 against Pakistan saw him stamp his authority in the game.

Nehra, in an exclusive chat with TOI, spoke about how that century against Pakistan really projected Dhoni in the eyes of cricket fans across the world.

"That innings was like he had tasted blood and he yearned for more. He hardly ever batted at No. 3 after that innings but he had made a statement that day. We lost all the remaining four matches in that series but we discovered Dhoni, " said Nehra.

The pacer stressed on how Dhoni's discipline, passion, composure and confidence made him a different person and put him a step above the rest. He added that Dhoni was brought into the side when they wanted to relieve Rahul Dravid from the wicketkeeping job, and trying out Parthiv Patel, Dinesh Karthik did not meet expectations.

"I remember we tried out Dinesh Karthik for a year after Parthiv Patel. DK was an exceptional talent with sound technique. But Dhoni did what DK and Parthiv couldn't - make the most of his opportunities, " Nehra added.

Nehra also showered praise on Dhoni's journey and his time as a captain, terming him as one of the 'legendary captains of contemporary cricket'. The Delhi-born pacer also drew parallels between Dhoni's career path to that of youngster Rishabh Pant.

"I don't see anyone coming close to the impact he has had as a wicketkeeper batsman except for Rishabh Pant. Pant's journey - thought it is still early days - reminds me a lot of Dhoni, " the former India pacer said.