Mahendra Singh Dhoni doesn't spend too much time on history, records and emotions. He is a figure who gives off a distant air to the media, a cool persona to the public and a calming influence on teammates, be it stalwarts or rookies. What is Sachin Tendulkar's birthright and what should have been Saurav Ganguly's natural conclusion is now Dhoni's.
He has certainly deserved lifting the 2011 Cricket World Cup. His unbeaten 73-ball 75 might be his first half-century in the tournament but like Steve Waugh in 1999, he left his best for the last. His innings was a true reflection of his reign as India captain.
Some call him plain lucky. He has the best batting line-up in the world, an armoury that any captain would love to have. If that is so, Ricky Ponting is perhaps luckier than Dhoni. The Indian captain has to make do with a one-and-a-half man bowling attack and a fielding setup that blows hot and cold. Add to that the pressure of a billion people and a few million TV channels and you have the world's most under-fire captain, even when he's winning.
During a press conference in Dhaka before the opening game against Bangladesh, a female reporter asked Dhoni if the team would feel pressure since they beat New Zealand and Australia in the warm-up games. "Madam, if we win there's pressure and if we lose there's pressure. What can I do?" was his reply. It drew a lot of laughs and experienced journalists can't seem to forget this phrase.
Dhoni may be sometimes ridiculed for his ultra-cool behaviour, sometimes bordering on the delusional. Incidents of Dhoni skipping press conferences and giving reporters blank looks are well-documented but nobody, not even the hoards of former Indian cricketers who regularly pick on him, can take this World Cup triumph away from him.
The man who was given the captaincy almost by default in late 2007 and then took over full time from Anil Kumble in 2008, Dhoni has balanced it well. It is sometimes forgotten that Dhoni leads a team that, in all his reign, had the likes of Ganguly, Dravid, Kumble and Tendulkar. In Pakistan, these are known as trouble-spots but for India, it has been the perfect mix in terms of leadership with South African Gary Kirsten being the perfect foil for the skipper.
Former England coach Duncan Fletcher commended how Dhoni,Tendulkar and Kirsten form the perfect leadership group for India.
The World Cup trophy is won by the best leaders in the world, it is not hierarchy but that is how it has been. Clive Lloyd, Kapil Dev, Allan Border, Arjuna Ranatunga, Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting made themselves count in every campaign, Dhoni too has done the same and in fact, he's led India out of the 2007 World Cup quagmire and into the top of world cricket.
Last night, Dhoni's batting had nothing to do with extra responsibility. It didn't give any rounded flourish of defending the ball when Virat Kohli fell to that stunning catch. Dhoni relies on his eyes and his timing and he used that against Sri Lanka to full effect. It is no secret that Dhoni's batting or for that matter his wicketkeeping is anything to talk about but he does the job. His first boundary in the 31st over broke the shackles for India and some of his whacks to the fence were borderline funny, but it never actually shows any struggle.
Dhoni's ability to balance a team is exemplary and his balance at the crease is also something to learn from.
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