In One-day Internationals, Mahendra Singh Dhoni has largely been a winning captain. He backs his men, creates situations and is hard to crack, writes S. Dinakar.
Stiffer tests of the Test match variety await Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Yet, the signs from this lion-heart from Jharkhand are good, in fact very good. In the ODIs, Dhoni has led with a rare mix of instinct and guile. He is proactive and aggressive, inspirational and calm. And he delivers under pressure.
The wicketkeeper-batsman has grown and evolved. Dhoni’s batsmanship is no longer blatantly aggressive; he now employs bursts of aggression in a judicious manner. His balance, movement and gathering as a ’keeper have improved.
In the critical transitional phase of Indian cricket, the focus will be on Mahi. Can he steer the ship through the choppy seas? Does he have the physical and the mental stamina for the gruelling Test campaigns as and when he takes over?
Former Australian wicket-keeping great Ian Healy believes it will be hard for Dhoni to combine the arduous job of keeping wickets with Test match captaincy. “He could find it tough in the Test matches as there is bound to be enormous physical and mental strain on him,” says Healy.
Accomplished former India captain Ajit Wadekar disagrees. “I think he is physically and mentally strong. He should be able to take the load. I think being the ’keeper and being so close to the action will give him a tremendous advantage,” he says.
Dhoni, in the absence of Anil Kumble, marshalled India to a series-levelling victory in the final Test against South Africa on a rank turner in Kanpur this year. The nature of the pitch, however, took some gloss off the win.
In the ODIs, Dhoni has largely been a winning captain. He backs his men, creates situations and is hard to crack.
India’s 3-2 ODI series triumph in Sri Lanka was a creditable achievement from a largely young team. The side was combative and displayed great energy levels on the field.
Comparing India’s ODI achievement with its performance in the Test series in Sri Lanka will be a short-sighted and a self-defeating exercise. Muttiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis bowled to attacking close-in fields in Tests on surfaces that deteriorated gradually. The spinners brought into play their entire repertoire of skills and the umpire referral system was in place. Survival in the middle was harder.
Indeed, we need to retain our balance while celebrating victories. All we can say is that, in the separate bunch of challenges that the ODI series brought with it, Dhoni and his men were not found wanting.
“He is so cool in stressful situations,” says an admiring Wadekar. Consequently, Dhoni reacts quickly and smartly at the crunch. He runs up to talk to the bowler, takes his time to set the field, plays on the mind of the opponent. His employment of the unsung Joginder Sharma in the Twenty20 games reflected an incisive cricketing mind.
Dhoni’s team-mate in the Chennai Super Kings, Australia’s Michael Hussey, too admires his composure. “He does not let the pressure get to the team, which is a very important attribute for a captain,” he says.
This doesn’t suggest Dhoni is less attacking. He is aggressive without being abrasive. A steely gaze sends the message to his erring men. He plays to win and comprehends how to cross the finish line. Dhoni relishes reponsibility, does not look upon it as a burden.
The chairman of the selection panel, Dilip Vengsarkar, is appreciative of Dhoni’s leadership qualities. Former India coach, the legendary Greg Chappell, not only highlights his cricketing skills but also calls him one of the most impressive young men he has come across. Former Indian pace ace Javagal Srinath declares Dhoni as the best Indian captain over the past 30 years.
These are, however, early days yet to debate on such lofty predictions. Time will tell.
Dhoni does radiate confidence in the arena. The immense self-belief rubs off on his men. In the World Twenty20 Championship, India dished out a fearless brand of cricket, emerging as a bold, new force in a fresh format.
Along the way, he has shown himself to be an unrelenting skipper who speaks his mind during the team meetings.
His team-mate Yuvraj Singh reveals the players are encouraged to air their opinions during the team meetings.
“The free exchange of ideas helps in building the right atmosphere in the team. There is no senior, no junior, in the team. We are all Indian cricketers,” says Yuvraj.
Dhoni, laudably, is not averse to admitting his errors. “Mistake, mistake,” he mumbled when it was pointed out that his management of overs against Pakistan during the final of the tri-nation series in Dhaka was less than satisfactory. Firstly, India wrongly went in with just four specialist bowlers. And to make matters worse, off-spinning all-rounder Yusuf Pathan was under-bowled.
He is not the one to mince words either. In a press conference down under earlier this year, he urged the media to support a young team. India was without senior giants such as Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly and V.V.S. Laxman and a largely young batting line-up had begun disastrously in the demanding competition.
Dhoni rallied behind his young cricketers. With the Super Senior Sachin Tendulkar donning the cloak of a path-finder, the young Indian team regrouped against the World Cup winner, Australia, and runner-up, Sri Lanka.
India bucked the odds and emerged triumphant. Dhoni too made the right moves as the skipper. He gave the new ball to Ishant Sharma, previously thought off as a one-change bowler with his off-cutters, and the budding paceman made early inroads with his pace, bounce and subtle movement. Dhoni’s ploy to throw the new ball to Praveen Kumar of a unique wrist action and two-way movement in the decisive phase of the tri-series proved a master stroke. Leg-spinner Piyush Chawla was bravely thrown into the ring in the finals as India rightly fielded five bowlers.
India, in other words, turned the aggressor. Dhoni orchestrated a critical mental switch that eventually undermined Australia. The hunter had become the hunted.
Apart from his captaincy and leadership qualities, Dhoni’s batting and ’keeping add value to the side. With the willow, he absorbs the pressure, reads the situation well. Down under, Dhoni curbed his natural instinct to attack and collected runs craftily for his team, often shuffling across to cover his stumps — he risked a leg-before decision in the process — and working the ball for singles and twos. His methods were reminiscent of former Pakistan great Javed Miandad.
In Sri Lanka, Dhoni moved forward without committing himself at the point of delivery and quickly transferred his weight back if the length was short. He was decisive in his stroke-play, handled Mendis shrewdly. After India’s mental fade-out against the mystery spinner in the Asia Cup final, the team required its skipper to respond. Dhoni rose to the occasion.
The coming days will be testing for Indian cricket’s latest Khel Ratna recipient. Dhoni is bound to be stretched physically and mentally. He has already opted for a break once — the Test series against Sri Lanka.
Dhoni would know well that if he is appointed captain for all formats, it would be hard to seek rest. He should be prepared for the challenge during the phase of change.
Dhoni on topIndia skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni toppled his South African counterpart, Graeme Smith, to regain the top spot in the latest ICC ODI batsmen rankings. By virtue of his consistent performance, which included knocks of 76 and 71 in the recent one-day series against Sri Lanka, Dhoni has 803 rating points — 27 more than Smith, who occupies the second spot.
Dhoni had previously occupied the number one position for a brief period in 2006.
The top 10 rankings:1. M. S. Dhoni (India) 803 points2. G. C. Smith (South Africa) 7763. R. Ponting (Australia) 7514. M. Hussey (Australia) 7505. K. Pietersen (England) 7446. Mohammad Yousuf (Pakistan) 7387. S. Chanderpaul (West Indies) 7338. A. Symonds (Australia) 7309. S. Tendulkar (India) 72810. M. Hayden (Australia) 722
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