Brendon McCullum and Kevin Pietersen highlight reason which makes MS Dhoni special

Mahendra Singh Dhoni – A name which hit the cricketing arena almost 16 years ago, when he made India A debut in Zimbabwe. His sensational run in first India A series helped him to make India debut in 2004 and since then, he hasn’t looked back. With all three ICC tournaments under his belt, and also winning all other important series, Dhoni probably has nothing on his side which is yet to be proved.

Over the years, his stature has only risen. With the World Cup just 10 days away his experience will be vital for India and who knows it better than former New Zealand skipper Brendon McCullum who led his team to World Cup 2015 final. McCullum recently gave his thoughts on Team India's World Cup squad. He feels the availability of MS Dhoni in the side is indispensable because of his ability to put the opposition under pressure.

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The Kiwi said, "He is invaluable to the Indian team, he has a blueprint in his mind along with an approach to the game. He always puts the opposition under pressure when he arrives at the crease and reads the game perfectly. His fitness has been great, and he has been striking the ball beautifully in the recent past."

Former England captain Kevin Pietersen considers the recently concluded IPL a rebirth of the 37-year-old Dhoni. "His calmness gives him the ability to judge what's in front of him, it doesn't matter what situation it is, he is just one of those guys who you know would hold onto the ball when thrown at him."

"The best thing about IPL this year was the rebirth of MSD's batting, he took out all the bowling attacks in front of him," he added.

HIGHLIGHTS

• MS Dhoni will play his fourth ICC Cricket World Cup. 
• India will play its first game against South Africa on June 5. 
• Before the start of the World Cup, India will play two warm-up games.