Mahi Way
Manoj Madhavan -
Monday, November 10, 2008 2:40 PM
Yet another famous victory and Dhoni completes a hat-trick. Wonder how many more such victories will come out of Mahi's hat! While all of us sincerely hope he is not buried under the burden of hope, the stars of Indian cricket couldn't have been shining any better.
While we would be sujected to reams of prose in Dhoni's praise in the next couple of days, I would like to add another dimension to this euphoria. For me, after a very long time, we have found in Dhoni a player fit enough to lead the team in all three versions of the game. A luxury that's taken so many years to come by.
Remember the shocker in 2007 when Rahul Dravid relinquished captaincy after the England series which we won 1-0. The then chairman of selectors, Dilip Vengasarkar was in a fix looking for a replacement. Nobody, from Sachin Tendulkar to Sourav Ganguly, Virender Sehwag, VVS Laxman and even Mahender Singh Dhoni, was either ready or considered suitable for the job. Finally, the crown of thorns, if we may say so, was given to Anil Kumble.
From reasons as varied as politics to ego problems to even lack of form, the Indian playing XI has at times inlcuded as many as 4-5 former captains. Even in this series, Dhoni has marshalled a team with three ex captains: Tendulkar, Ganguly and Dravid.
Now, Anil Kumble's retirement meant a new captain. Dhoni was a unanimous choice. And for cricket pundits, Dhoni comes across as a good player with a balanced head on his shoulders. He is a very composed and level-headed cricketer.
India couldn’t have asked for anybody better at this point. He has proved, over the months, that he can lead the team in any form of the game: be it 20-20, ODIs or now Tests. Call it his luck or whatever, the fact is that India, under him, is today knocking at ICC's top ranking positions.
Sure, these are early days to comment on his captaincy in Tests. But if his attitude to the game is any indication, I am sure he won't be any different in the longer version of the game too. For me, India is in a very safe pair of hands, at least until the next world cup!