IPL 2017: Ben Stokes praises MS Dhoni and his leadership qualities despite not being captain

What’s the story?

The most valuable player of the Rising Pune Supergiant, Ben Stokes claimed that a huge chunk of credit for the success of RPS this season goes to stalwarts like MS Dhoni and Steve Smith working in tandem. "In the hotel, MS keeps his door open and anybody can go in. He's been very accommodating," Stokes told Telegraph on Monday (May 15).

Stokes went on to describe the substantial role of MSD behind the stumps that continuously kept assisting Smith with his field placement.

"On the field, MS epitomises calmness and, from a cricket point of view, has the best angle in terms of field placements. Obviously, Steve's the captain, but he's aware that MS has the best angle and, so, has worked with him in setting fields. Indeed, Steve and MS have worked really well together," he added.

In case you didn’t know...

The Rising Pune Supergiant relieving Dhoni of his captaincy duties and entrusting Australian skipper Steven Smith with the responsibility just before the auction this year. However, after some initial hiccups, the team has only emerged more affluent from it – finishing second on the table.

The heart of the matter

Dhoni’s calmness, position in the field and his experience at captaining makes him such a priceless member of the team. Dhoni has been very amicable throughout the league and anybody can approach him. The skipper Steven Smith has collaborated so well with him and has put Dhoni’s inputs to such good use.

RPS pocketed nine wins in their cut of 14 games and that launched them to the second spot in the standings at the end of the group stages. The side has come a long way, considering their poor performance in the previous edition of the league where they finished next to last.

What’s next?

The Rising Pune Supergiant is up against the Mumbai Indians in Qualifier 1 that is scheduled to be played at the Wankhede Cricket Stadium, Mumbai on the 16^th of May. Stokes who scored 316 runs with his blade and took 12 scalps in 12 matches will, however, not feature in the playoffs as the big man from England has already been incorporated in the national squad to train in Spain.

Author’s take

The decision of taking away the captaincy from Dhoni and handing it over to Smith has been fruit-bearing for RPS. It is not that Dhoni wasn’t an ideal option for the job; he has played the second fiddle really well and has only flourished all-the-more with his on-field inputs and decisions, which goes to show the positive mindset of the marvel.

The collaboration of Dhoni and Smith has worked wonders for the side and adding to all this is the precious performance of Ben Stokes, who has proved he’s worth every single penny invested in him. Whilst RPS has a fair shot at winning their maiden title, Stokes will be sorely missed in the upcoming playoffs.