In a recent development, former Australian batsman Michael Hussey has labelled his former Chennai Super Kings teammate and former Indian captain MS Dhoni as the “greatest finisher” that the game of cricket has ever seen.

“Dhoni is the greatest finisher of all time that the cricketing world has ever produced,” Hussey told Sanjay Manjrekar on ESPNcricinfo’s Videocast.

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“Dhoni can keep his cool and make the opposition captain blink first. Dhoni also has unbelievable power. He knows that when he needs to clear the ropes, he can do it. He has that kind of self-belief. Honestly, I didn’t have that kind of belief in myself,” he added.

Explaining MS Dhoni’s mantra of winning games Hussey stated that Dhoni believed that the one who panics last has better chances of winning the game.

“I tried not to let it reach 12 or 13 runs an over,” said Hussey while elaborating Dhoni’s ability to finish games without sweating too much.

“And I learnt this from MS Dhoni. He is incredible. He believes that he who panics last wins the game. So Dhoni would keep his cool, and keep it longer because the pressure is on the bowler as well,” he added.

Hussey believed that some of the best players to have played the game have some things in common like “they don’t hang on to a defeat for too long. If they lose, they move on quickly. They don’t let a loss or a win hamper their thinking”.

“They are always consistent, and level headed whether it’s MS Dhoni or Ricky Ponting.”

Hussey then revealed the secret of CSK being one of the most successful and consistent teams in the Indian Premier League.

“Supportive owners who let coach Stephen Fleming and captain Dhoni decide how to run the team, excellent chemistry between the coach and the captain, Dhoni’s leadership and lastly the foresight of the owners, Fleming and Dhoni to pick the best players, particularly the good Indian players and then stick with them for as long as possible.”

“This has built an excellent continuity in the team. And once you have continuity, you build relationships and trust that otherwise takes time to grow,” he added.

The 44-year-old said that the franchise would perhaps look to start afresh once Dhoni decides to bid farewell to the game and retire from the sport.

“That’s a 60-million-dollar question, and I am equally intrigued. I believe the owners would like to keep Dhoni involved in some way or the other,” said Hussey.

“However, whenever the change of guard happens, CSK might want to start all over again, build a brand, new team, and use their existing philosophy as they enter the next decade of IPL. It is definitely going to be more challenging in current times,” he added.

Notably, MS Dhoni was expected to lead CSK in the 13th edition of the cash-rich IPL at this time of the year but the tournament stands postponed owing to the coronavirus pandemic.