After severe criticism for India's successive defeats in the last couple of years, Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni has once again become the cynosure of all eyes after leading India to two consecutive Test wins against the Australians.
Dhoni has been in brilliant form this season and seems to be getting better and better not just as a batsman but also as a captain as of now. His decisions have worked out really well in the first two tests against Australia and winning 22 Test matches with a winning percentage of 48 percent is enough to display why he is rated as one of the best Indian captains ever.
His innings of 224 in first Test in Chennai against the Aussies has now been rated as one of the best knocks by any Indian captain in the history of Indian cricket. Interesting point of his innings was that he batted at number six on which is unusual for Dhoni in Tests. He has played some magnificent knocks in past 18 months which has made him the best match-finisher of all times.
Former Pakistani captain, Imran Khan, has always said that, “You need a brave captain who can take some bold decisions and Indian team could not have got better than MS Dhoni.”
Even the likes of Ravi Shastri and Sunil Gavaskar has said that, “ There is no need to remove MS Dhoni from captaincy till 2019 World Cup and let him enjoy his captaincy with this top form.”
Let's analyse what makes Dhoni not only the best entertainer but also as one of the finest captain of all times that Indian cricket had ever seen.
AS COOL AS CUCUMBER: India has seen many changes since he took the captaincy from Anil Kumble and India has been in a transition phase. Dhoni’s track record of 22 wins speaks volume of his Leadership. He has always been associated as “Captain of Best Indian Cricket team” but he is one of those captains who has seen the most dramatic twists and turns in his career. He took the team to the number one position in all formats of the game but very soon saw one of the darkest phase of his career as India was whitewashed by England and Australia in their own backyards.
His cool and calm attitude has always been praised but his patience during that tough time was something that bonded the team together. He has always been the punching bag for the senior pros of the game but he did not bother about those things and kept himself busy in planning to get his team back on track. The recent series against Australia has been a perfect example where he is leading with the example. He is back with his chirping behind the stumps which has created lot of difference not only for bowlers but also for close-in fielders.
JACK OF ALL TRADES: Mahendra Singh Dhoni has been in prime form and has come up with some sensational knocks. His 113 runs against Pakistan in the recently concluded ODI series was a hallmark of his ability to mould himself according to the situation. His sensational knock of 224 runs against Australia in first Test turned out to be a match winning knock for his team. His presence of mind is something even Little Master Sunil Gavaskar is a big fan of. He has that ability to stick with the lower order batsmen to steer the ship from the tough times which only a charismatic player can do.
He has been rated as one of the most destructive batsmen of all times who can hit the ball for miles and he also showed a glimpse of it when he came up with knock of 72 runs against England in the second ODI and he took the game away from England. He has hardly missed an opportunity to display his effectiveness as a team mate. His ability to galvanize his innings according to the format has been his uniqueness.
NO REAL SUBSTITUTE: Many ex-captains have come up with an idea of introducing multiple captaincies in Indian cricket but Dhoni has welcomed the thought with a clause that, “If selectors think that there is any suitable replacement then they should go with it, otherwise there is no point in disturbing the balance of the team.”
Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina has emerged as contender for the captaincy of Indian cricket team but selectors want them to focus more on their roles in batting and fielding department. Moreover Dhoni is now 32 years old, and is now left with 5 to 6 years of cricket in him. So Indian team should try to get out of this rough patch under his captaincy as it is a better than opening the Pandora’s box and get back in to transition phase once again.
RIGHT MAN FOR RIGHT JOB: Picking up rookie Ravindra Jadeja instead of specialist bowler Pragyan Ojha was something even legends were confused about but MS Dhoni had clear idea of what he wants for his team. Jadeja didn’t let his captain down and has already picked up 11 wickets in the series and looking positive to bag more.
Dropping Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag from Test squad was not an easy decision to make but Dhoni kept the priorities of team first rather than of any Individual. Dhoni has kept his faith in Ravichandran Ashwin and he has done exceedingly well in the on-going Test series against Australia and is leading the wicket tally.
Taking these decisions needs a lot of courage and it looks that Dhoni surely believes in calamity is a touch-stone of brave mind and that’s why he is getting tested in a new manner which is letting him explore a new dimension of his captaincy.
PREPARING THE YOUTH-BRIGADE: Picking up Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Shami Ahmed was a much needed move as Indian pace attack was struggling to make a mark. This duo has done really well and they created havoc on Pakistan and England batting line-up and made them dance on their tunes.
Giving Murali Vijay and Shikhar Dhawan was a fair call as the opening pair of Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag was not contributing to the team for past 2 years. Dhoni’s idea of preparing a blue-print of 2015 world cup team looks quite clear and with some fresh legs in the field, fielding department is going to be much better.
By Amit Chopra
Indian Sports News Network
