Dhoni is like Ajit: Skipper Wadekar's wife Rekha

Ajit Wadekar. Pic/ Getty Images; MS Dhoni

Former captain MS Dhoni, who led India to the 2011 ICC World Cup triumph, is just like Ajit Wadekar, who guided the country to its first Test series win on English soil this day in 1971.

The similarity was made by none other than Wadekar's wife Rekha, who has been a keen follower of Indian cricket for more than 50 years.

"More than Virat Kohli, my favourite captain is Dhoni. More or less he is like Ajit. Dhoni always took decisions with a cool mind just like Ajit," Rekha told mid-day.com on Monday, on the eve of the 50th anniversary of India's first series in England.

Ajit Wadekar's wife Rekha

The win came about at The Oval in London, where India beat England by four wickets to win the series 1-0.

Former national chief selector Wadekar, who passed away in 2018 at the age of 77, represented the country in 37 Tests and scored 2,113 runs.

Dhoni, 40, who is currently leading Chennai Super Kings in the IPL, scored 17,266 international runs.

Another common aspect Rekha noticed in the two captains was focus: "Ajit never gave importance to unnecessary things and Dhoni worked on the same lines as well."

Like she does for other matches, Rekha watched the ongoing Test series between India and England on television and felt that anger was not helping Kohli's game. "More aggression may affect his game. I think he should be careful. If Virat curtails his aggression, it will definitely help him perform more consistently," Rekha remarked.

Also Read: 50 years ago: When Wadekar's 1971 cricket heroes rocked England at The Oval