Former Australia skipper Michael Clarke heaped praise on India wicket-keeper-batsman Mahendra Singh Dhoni after the latter powered the ‘Men in Blue’ to a series-clinching win at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), on Friday.

Dhoni struck his third fifty of the series as India beat Australia by seven wickets to clinch the series 2-1. Following India’s victory, Clarke told the official broadcasters that Dhoni is more experienced now and he plays according to the situation and not reputation.

“Dhoni has gone from a Lamborghini to an Aston Martin. He is still unbelievable,” Clarke told Sony Six. “There is an adjustment. He is more experienced now, he knows his game better now. He acknowledges his partner at the other end more now.”

“ When MS Dhoni started, he didn’t need a partner. Whether his partner got a duck, scored a fifty or a century if they needed 50 off 20 balls, the partner’s job was to get Dhoni on strike. Now he knows how important it is for his partner to be able to find that boundary and lead up to Dhoni pressing gold. He’s had that in the last two games,” the former Australia skipper added.

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Meanwhile, Australia coach Justin Langer also paid tribute to Mahendra Singh Dhoni as a superstar and an all-time great of the game. Langer was amazed by Dhoni’s fitness at the age of 37 and said that playing against him has been a rich learning experience for his young side.

“He (Dhoni) is 37 years old. His running between the wickets is elite, and his fitness is elite. For him to run between the wickets for three days in a row, it was 40 degrees the other day, and play like that, he is a superstar of the game and that’s what Australians should be aspiring to be -- superstars of the game,” Langer said at the post-match press conference.

“MS Dhoni, like Virat Kohli, like Cheteshwar Pujara in the Test series, they give us really great role models. MS Dhoni, his record, everything speaks for itself as a captain, batsman, wicket-keeper. He is literally an all-time great of the game and it has been, as hard as it is to lose, a privilege to play against those guys.”

((With Agency Inputs))

First Published: Jan 19, 2019 09:18 IST