Some of the greatest moments of Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni's international careers are intertwined with each other. Among these, most notably, are India's title wins in the 2007 T20 World Cup and the 2011 World Cup. Dhoni was captain of the team in both tournaments and Yuvraj was player of the tournament on both occasions.
Both players were known for their ability to score big runs when the team needed them but former Sri Lanka captain Russell Arnold has stated that the major difference between them was that Dhoni was far more adept at playing defensively and flamboyantly when needed on a consistent basis. Arnold, who was himself considered a potent finisher during his days as captain of the Sri Lankan team, said that it is this ability that made Dhoni a consistent finisher.
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"He could play both roles, there are very few who could do that. Both roles meaning, when he needed to absorb pressure, he could do it. That was my strength but I could hit a boundary now or then but not 15 runs an over consistently. You give me eight to 10 (runs to score in an over), I'll back myself. But Dhoni would back himself with 15 or 20 an over and hit those big sixes consistently," Arnold said in a conversation with former India batter WV Raman.
{{/usCountry}}"He could play both roles, there are very few who could do that. Both roles meaning, when he needed to absorb pressure, he could do it. That was my strength but I could hit a boundary now or then but not 15 runs an over consistently. You give me eight to 10 (runs to score in an over), I'll back myself. But Dhoni would back himself with 15 or 20 an over and hit those big sixes consistently," Arnold said in a conversation with former India batter WV Raman.
{{/usCountry}}Dhoni began his career as an explosive batter - his innings of 148 against Pakistan and 183 not out against Sri Lanka are proof - but once he became captain, Dhoni added more layers to his batting. He developed the ability of playing himself in whenever the team was in trouble - during an ODI against Pakistan, Dhoni took India from 29/5 to 227/6 scoring an unbeaten century - played through and backed himself to finish a match even if 15 runs were needed off the last over.
Yuvraj on the other hand, was a much more authoritative batter and while he too could play anchor, he mostly thrived in positions where the platform was set for him to take off. Weighing in on the same, Arnold feels Yuvraj was slightly less tailor-made for pressure situations as compared to Dhoni while taking nothing away from the contributions of the former India all-rounder.
"To be able to play both roles expertly as he did, he is in a very different league. Not many players who can play both those roles. You get players with flamboyance and come close to him in hitting those boundaries. Like Yuvraj Singh. But Yuvraj could not absorb the pressure when needed and play with his partner the way Dhoni did. Yuvraj had to be the boss to be extravagant and express himself. That is when he was at his best. But Dhoni was at his best at both ends of the line. He could be defensive and absorb pressure and throw those punches as well," said Arnold.
Yuvraj made his debut for India in October 2000 and announced his retirement from all forms of cricket in June 2019. Dhoni, on the other had, made his debut in December 2004 and retired in August 2020, with his last match being the India vs New Zealand ODI of the 2019 World Cup semifinal.