'I wish captains like MS Dhoni come in Pakistan as well' - Kamran Akmal

Pakistan wicket-keeper-batsman Kamran Akmal has expressed hope that captains like MS Dhoni would grace his nation's cricket as well. He praised the former Indian captain's mentality of putting the country's success above his own performances.

Kamran Akmal shared his thought on MS Dhoni as an inspirational leader while speaking to 'Paktv.tv'. He spoke highly of the 2011 World Cup-winning Indian captain's inclination towards building the team apart from performing well himself, while not being overly concerned about his spot in the lineup.

"He was a player who took the team along. Doing captaincy is very easy, that I do captaincy and my place remains secure whether the team wins or losses, you have no concern."

"But Dhoni had this speciality that he was building the team and his own performance was also world-class. You can see the players he was creating, they are still No.1. He only wanted to do good for his country."

Akmal opined that MS Dhoni should be accorded a fitting farewell, much like the one given to Sachin Tendulkar, for his achievements on the cricket field.

"Such players should not go like this, he should get a standing ovation. He should get a farewell match where he goes from the ground, like the way the great Sachin Tendulkar went."

#MSDhoniRetires | ‘I can tell you for sure’: VVS Laxman predicts where MS Dhoni will play his farewell matchhttps://t.co/Y1TEYGFfm8

— HT Sports (@HTSportsNews) August 18, 2020

He mentioned that Captain Cool had lived up to his name with the way he announced his retirement, while adding that players like him rarely grace the cricketing world.

"He has gone just like his name of Mr. Cool. Such a player comes rarely in world cricket."

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Kamran Akmal on the lessons Pakistan captains can learn from MS Dhoni

MS Dhoni played the mentorship role for the youngsters in the Indian team

Kamran Akmal was further asked about the heights the Pakistan team would have attained had MS Dhoni been their captain. The 38-year-old responded that the talismanic skipper was destined to play for India while observing that such captains are essential for any team.

He also highlighted the inspirational captains that Pakistan has had in the past like Inzamam-ul-Haq and Younis Khan.

"Such captains are very much required. We have seen Inzi bhai and Younis bhai, how they have carried the team along. MS Dhoni was destined to play for India and he did well for his nation."

Akmal opined that MS Dhoni had set a great example in showing how to build a team, and that this mentality that should be imbibed by the Pakistan captains.

"He is a great example in front of us. He has not only played cricket but built a team as well and taken the Indian in an upward direction. Such mentality should also be there in our captains."

He observed that the current Pakistan captains are playing more for their spots in the team and are least bothered about the results of the game.

"Nowadays, you see that they are playing for their own positions, to secure their spots and they have no concern whether the team wins or not. Such things are harmful for any country's team."

Kamran Akmal signed off by wishing that captains like MS Dhoni grace Pakistan cricket as well while requesting the current skipper to learn from the great man.

"I wish such captains come in Pakistan as well. It is a request to the current captain that unless they win and their own performance is not world-class, the way Dhoni has done, we will not be able to go up."

MS Dhoni led India in 60 Test matches, with the team registering a win in 27 of them while being on the receiving end on 18 occasions. The Indian team had also reached the No. 1 spot in the ICC Test rankings under his stewardship,

The former Indian skipper is regarded as one of the greatest white-ball captains the game has seen, with the Men In Blue winning 110 of the 200 ODIs and 41 of the 72 T20Is under his leadership. He is also the only skipper to have won all the three ICC trophies - T20 World Cup, ODI World Cup and the Champions Trophy.

"I can bet it's going to stay forever."High praise from Gambhir on Dhoni's captaincy record 🏆📹 via @StarSportsIndia Cricket Connectedpic.twitter.com/PFxzPdiFAR

— Wisden India (@WisdenIndia) August 16, 2020

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