The Hindu : Sport : The making of a captain

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Feb 21, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Sport

Sport

The making of a captain

S. Dinakar

— Photo: AFP

M.S. Dhoni.

Adelaide: Mahendra Singh Dhoni loves his conversations with speed and wind. On the bike, he switches gears fast. His whirlwind innings alter scripts on the cricketing arena.

The man known to be ruled by impulse has now realised that patience pays. The transformation has been remarkable. So has been Dhoni’s reading of the situations.

Captaincy is a lot about accepting responsibility and responding to the additional demands. Some crumble under the weight of expectation, others seek inspiration from it.

Revelation

In the CB tri-series ODI campaign here so far, Dhoni has been a revelation. The dasher was a sea of calm in a stressful situation here on Tuesday against Sri Lanka and guided India to a crucial victory with clever pushes and nudges rather than big flamboyant drives.

To a largely young rebuilding ODI side, the man they call ‘Mahi’ has been a strong captain.

He has been in the line of fire himself and not fallen down. The Indian captain has been solid down the order, putting together partnerships and rebuilding the innings.

Resisting his urge

He has resisted his urge to knock the cover off the ball and has rotated the strike, kept the score-board ticking without resorting to risks. There have been suggestions that he should bat at No. 3 but Dhoni’s value down the order is immense. From the opener against Australia at the ’Gabba, Dhoni has defied the bowlers after they had cut through the top and middle-order. And when the captain stands up and fights, it sends a strong message to the side.

Evolving

These are early days yet, but Dhoni has the qualities of a leader. He is ever evolving. He has rung in the bowling and fielding changes well, kept wickets tidily and his focus has seldom waned.

Unfazed by growing criticism, he has backed the men he believed in. Much of the credit for Yuvraj’s match-winning effort here against the Lankans should go to Dhoni.

Earlier in his tenure as the ODI captain, Dhoni was a touch too instinctive. There were occasions when an impatient Dhoni would remove a bowler after a couple of expensive overs. Now, he displays greater faith in his men. He has shuffled his bowlers better. He runs up to the bowler to offer words of guidance and encouragement.

Good ploy

The ploy to hand the new ball to Ishant Sharma provided the attack with the cutting edge. His decision to use Harbhajan Singh’s off-spin at the death here on Tuesday was a well thought-out move.

Being one of the side’s key batsmen, donning the big gloves and leading the side can be mentally and physically draining. Dhoni, though, does not appear a tired man.

While interacting with the media, he is mostly smiling. Despite the mega-bucks, he still seems to retain the innocence of a small town lad who is not daunted by the big lights.

With Anil Kumble excelling as Test captain, Dhoni will have to wait longer before being crowned with the top job. He should not be rushed into Test captaincy.

Dhoni’s job in this CB series is still unfinished. A place in the finals has not been secured yet, and the Australians will be a formidable last hurdle.

But the signs from captain Dhoni are good...in fact very good.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Sport