The Hindu : Sport : Dhoni led from the front in the Sri Lanka series

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Aug 31, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Sport

Sport

Dhoni led from the front in the Sri Lanka series

S. Ram Mahesh

Dhoni has been helped in this series by Zaheer’s remarkable form
The batting was sustained by Dhoni and Raina

Colombo: Before the hiccups of Bangladesh and Pakistan, where India lost two finals, it appeared M.S. Dhoni could do no wrong.

The triumphs in the World Twenty20 and the CB Series in Australia were defining achievements, and the pluck and verve of New India captured a nation’s imagination — in a rare case of reality very nearly matching hype.

Great achievement

Then came the defeats in the Bangladesh tri-series and the Asia Cup, and one wondered if an old failing — which this side had seemed to shrug off — had returned to haunt India.

India’s first-ever bilateral series win in Sri Lanka is an achievement in itself.

But seen in the light of the last two one-day tournaments, and the hold Ajantha Mendis and Muttiah Muralitharan exerted during the Test series and the first ODI, the triumph grows in stature.

Dhoni has been helped in this series by Zaheer Khan’s remarkable form with the ball in helpful conditions, but the captain has led from the front, directing a tense chase in the second match before setting up victories in the third and fourth games with half-centuries.

“A captain can only do a few things, he can’t do everything on his own,” said Dhoni, who was adjudged the Man of the Series.

“In a way, he identifies the problem areas and shares the responsibility. I firmly believe a good team makes a good captain, and not the other way round. Of course, as captain, you have to keep the team united, motivated and get them to work in the right direction,” he said.

Responding well

This Indian side has responded particularly well to Dhoni, lifting in the absence of Sachin Tendulkar, who controlled the finals Down Under, and Virender Sehwag, who was in rare touch in the Tests here. “If people like Sachin and Sehwag are part of the team, it really helps,” Dhoni said.

“But that’s not in our control. There is no point sitting and sulking about people who aren’t there, because it doesn’t make a difference. The 15 guys who are here are the ones that matter. It’s up to the individuals to take responsibility. Happily, they are doing that, but you do miss the great players.”

Dhoni has had the vision and the spine to break from the past. “It helps that you have a young side,” he said. “Not just Twenty20, even 50-over cricket is very demanding. You want batsmen who run well and quickly between the wickets, who put pressure on the opposition. If you make a par score on a ground and you are a good fielding side that throws itself around and converts half-chances, it contributes because suddenly, the total appears 15-20 runs more.”

Squad development

Elaborating on his ideas of squad development, Dhoni said: “You must give players a long run to prove themselves. Everyone wants to play international cricket, but the best way to improve your skills is to practice out in the middle.

“Sometimes, when you want to prove yourself, you are desperate to perform and that desperation bogs you down. You play at your best when you are relaxed.

For that, you must have the confidence that you won’t be dropped after one, two, or three games. If you have identified someone as talented and capable, you must give him enough chances to prove his capabilities.

“Then even if he fails, he knows what he needs to work on, and he can go back and play first class cricket and fight (for a recall),” he said.

The batting in this series was sustained by Dhoni and Suresh Raina, and to a lesser extent, Virat Kohli. “It’s about the team, it’s not about individuals,” said Dhoni, asked about Yuvraj Singh and Gautam Gambhir’s failures.

Tough on batsmen

“It’s all about working as a unit. This series was tough on the batsmen. That’s why it was important for set batsmen to carry on. If you can win series like this with others contributing, sometimes you can carry batsmen who are not amongst the runs, because you know what they are capable of,” he said.

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

Sport