New Delhi: The Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni is by far the best one-day player India has ever produced, just going by his sheer match winning abilities and is head and shoulders ahead of any of his contemporary cricketers when it comes to getting the job done without making a lot of fuss about it.
Time and again Dhoni has bailed his team out of trouble, be it while doing his national duties or for his IPL franchise Chennai Super Kings. His ability to adjust to different situations makes him such a dangerous player in any circumstances and can switch gears without even letting the opposition know about it.
Dhoni's biggest asset is his ability to clear the fence at will and can slow or quicken the pace of the game according to its requirement. Captaincy seems to bring the best out of him and his calm and cool nature only goes to show his temperament which is the most important facet to succeed at the highest level.
Till date he is the only guy who seems to be the captain of any side whenever he walks into a cricket field, not to forget his wicket-keeping abilities which gets unnoticed due to his batting fireworks.
Over the years Dhoni has made very few mistakes as a wicket-keeper and it is difficult to come accross a moment where he had missed an easy stumping or a simple catch. He must have which is bound to happen in sports but few and far in between. Overall he comes accross as a guy who is a complete package and tailor made for one-day cricket and T20 format.
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 ODI series in the ODI earlier this year 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. He once again showed the glimpse of his aggressives by scoring 63 runs off just 19 balls in the CLT20 match against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
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 Cheteshwar Pujara 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 against the Aussies 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 Indian Sports News
