Former Australian international Michael Hussey feels MS Dhoni does not have "too many weaknesses". But he claims that even if he is aware of them, the Team Chennai batting coach would never share them with Australia ahead of their high-profile World Cup clash with India on Sunday.
Having beaten Afghanistan and West Indies, Australia are pumped up to take on India next. And Hussey is confident that Australia will have their plans in place for the former India captain.
"All the teams do very thorough analysis on all the players so I am sure that they will have their plans for MSD and all the Indian players," Hussey told PTI.
Asked what makes Dhoni tick when he is just a month short of 38, Hussey said it's the legend's awareness of his strengths. "He is a great competitor and keeps his composure better than anyone especially under pressure. He is a very smart player, who is calculating. He knows his strengths and always sticks to them," said the member of the 2007 World Cup-winning Australian team.
Hussey feels that Dhoni's mere presence and ability to take the game deep will keep the opposition on its edge. "He will know which bowlers are threats and which ones are targets in every team. The bowlers you mentioned can only bowl from one end."
Hussey, meanwhile, also named Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya as the two game-changers for India. "Bumrah will bowl all those difficult overs. We would see him bowl whenever India are desperate for a wicket, so there will be pressure on him but I think he handles the pressure as well as anyone in world cricket.
"Hardik could be used as a floater in the batting order ...or be used as that power hitter at the back end of an innings. I would not like to be bowling if Hardik and MSD are batting at the end of an innings," he said.
Having made a great start to their campaign, Hussey is happy to see the seamless integration of David Warner and Steve Smith into the Aussie set-up. "They (Warner and Smith) seem to have settled back in well from the outside. They are well known by all the players and have done their time, everyone wants to move on.
"The challenge for the team is how well they can handle the external distractions which will surely come from the English crowds and media."
Feature image courtesy: AFP Photo/ William West
