Ali had played under Dhoni for Chennai Super Kings in two seasons of IPL while Morgan, who retired from international cricket on Tuesday, was his national skipper in white-ball cricket.
“There are a lot of similarities (between Dhoni and Morgan). Both are very calm. Nothing fazes them, on or off the field, but they are also very competitive. They know exactly what they are doing and never seem to panic.”
“I’ve never seen either of them raise their voice in anger. If they feel they need to tackle someone, they do it one on one, never in front of the group. They never embarrass anyone and the players trust them. Even if you’d got ten noughts in a row, you’d feel they had your back,” Ali was quoted as saying by The Times.
With Morgan now stepping away from international cricket, it means that there is a vacancy left in the England white-ball set-up over who will be the captain, with wicketkeeper-batter Jos Buttler seen as a main contender. Ali, who was England captain when Morgan was injured mid-way in the T20I series against West Indies this year, remarked that he won’t be desperate for getting the top job for which he feels Buttler will be the right fit.
“Obviously if they asked me I’d do it and I think I’d be all right, but I wasn’t desperate for it. Jos is the right guy; he’s got years left and will take things to a new level. Eoin is a tough act to follow. Eoin was very stats based and Jos will be more in the moment. With Eoin you couldn’t tell whether he had scored a duck or a hundred whereas Jos . . . but he knows his white-ball game so well now, I don’t think that will be an issue.”
Apart from white-ball cricket, Ali had said earlier this month that he would be available for a comeback to Test cricket, especially with England going to tour Pakistan this year.
“I’ve spoken to Brendon a lot. He is looking to the winter and, of course, I want to see Jack (Leach) doing well. I don’t want to be the No 1 spinner and we are not talking a two or three-year cycle, but it’s more that if they’ve got injuries or need three or four spinners for a tour and they still feel like I’m playing well enough, then I’m more than happy to come and do it,” concluded the all-rounder.
