‘That’s a real big milestone’: Matthew Hayden picks India’s most impactful player of the decade

Between Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni, former Australia batsman Matthew Hayden has come up with his pick for India’s most impactful player of the decade.

Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni have been the two most influential and important cricketer for the Indian cricket team in the last decade. While Dhoni established himself as India’s most decorated captain by completing a trifecta of winning three ICC titles – by winning the World Cup in 2011 and two years later, the Champions Trophy in England, Kohli took Indian cricket to great heights by becoming one of the best batsmen in the world. Kohli made a habit out of successfully chasing big totals for India, a trait rarely seen in Indian cricket before him.

The Indian cricket team during the 2017 Champions Trophy in England. (Getty Images)

So, when it comes to picking one of the two players in terms of the impact they have left behind, preferring one over the other could be a tough call. However, Matthew Hayden feels the moniker should belong to Dhoni, given he led India to a World Cup win, which the former Australia batsman reckons is a milestone next to none.

“I think it’s really important and significant that MS Dhoni has won a World Cup and a Champions Trophy. That World Cup for me, that’s a real big milestone,” Hayden said on the Cricket Connected Show on Star Sports.

“I have mentioned it before we have played loads of cricket in the one-day format and I just feel that when it comes to being ready for a World Cup, you not only got to have a good leader but you also need to have a calm strong player in the middle order like he has.”