Super King

What did go unnoticed,though,was that the Indian skipper,in fact,had — apart from ensuring that a cramped-up Tendulkar reached his milestone — scored 32 runs off those two overs and propelled the Indian score over 400,dragging the game well out of the visitors’ reach.

Sitting in the dressing-room,the rest of the Indian players were never flustered about the turn of events in the centre,says Sreesanth,who was part of the playing XI on that historic day. “Both of them are team players. But we knew that Sachin paaji required just a single ball and that MS would ensure he got it,” recalls the Kerala speedster.

Surprises a certainty
In his relatively short career as India captain,Dhoni has repeatedly reinforced this confidence in him — that of possessing the uncanny ability to always be in control of what is required for his team. Captains almost always make for interesting characters. The men who have led the Indian cricket team through the last two decades have all possessed exceptional characteristics. From the laidback Mohammad Azharuddin,the intense Tendulkar,the ultra-instinctive Sourav Ganguly,the academic Rahul Dravid,to the solid Anil Kumble,all exhibited their distinctiveness to the hilt during their respective tenures as captain.

Nobody though,has yet managed to identify the specific quality that is most representative of Dhoni as a captain. The 28-year-old former ticket-collector from Ranchi has proved to be the most un-Indianlike skipper to have led the country. Every time an adjective has been pinned down alongside his name,Dhoni has come up with a new trick that has added a new dimension to his personality.

Fans have often assigned the clichéd ‘Captain Cool’ sobriquet to him,while cynics have associated providence to his success. But the common conclusion drawn while understanding Dhoni’s radical moves is that of him being an instinctive captain.

But former India pacer Venkatesh Prasad,who spent 45 days alongside Dhoni while being part of the Chennai Super Kings team management,calls the “instinctive assessment” too simplistic. “All captains bank on their gut feeling. But the thing about Dhoni is that he makes moves that shock even us,the team management,at times. And if he can surprise people who work with him day in and day out,just imagine the plight of the opposition. He is always full of surprises,” says Prasad,who was the Indiam team’s bowling coach when Dhoni was originally named captain for the Twenty20 World Championships in 2007.

Team man
Another display of Dhoni’s unorthodoxy came during the recent IPL final. With the burly Kieron Pollard trying to smash every ball out of sight,most captains would have looked at pushing their fielders as far back on the boundary line as possible. Dhoni instead put Matthew Hayden at a very fine mid-off — just behind the bowler — and the move paid off amazingly for both the skipper and his team,as Pollard was caught at that very position.

“MS had seen Pollard hit a couple of balls in the air through that area. And as always,he had the confidence to have a fielder there despite the tense situation,” explains left-arm spinner Shadab Jakati.

As Dhoni led the Super Kings to IPL glory,team-owner N Srinivasan was busy fielding questions about the off-field mess. But though the BCCI secretary doesn’t give away much even while talking about his skipper,he does exclaim,in his own grim fashion,about Dhoni being the best motivator in the game at the moment. “He is the best leader in the world right now. We went into the first IPL auction resolute on picking MS and he has proved us right,” says Srinivasan.

Of all the positives that do get reiterated about Dhoni,it is his ability to soak in immense pressure that has attracted most admirers both within and out of the team. “He doesn’t overreact or under-react in any situation. It’s amazing how he remains so balanced regardless of the team being in winning position or a losing one. I have seen it both in the Indian dressing-room and during the IPL,” says R Ashwin,one of the stars in Chennai’s triumphant campaign.

Whether it is while he is fashioning run-chases or making sudden bowling changes in the middle,Dhoni has exuded this calmness quite eloquently so far. Not for nothing,then,were a number of eyebrows raised when he celebrated Chennai’s victory over Kings XI Punjab,which confirmed their semi-final place,rather animatedly. Ashwin,though,insists that considering the enormity of the game,it was Dhoni’s limited show of emotions that took the team by surprise.

Parthiv Patel,who Dhoni took over the responsibility of keeping wickets for India from,believes his fellow gloveman’s best facet as captain is the space he gives to team mates. While the younger members of the team rave about the confidence and backing they receive from their skipper,the seniors speak highly about the complete lack of insecurity in Dhoni’s captaincy.

“I have full freedom in setting fields and MS has full faith in me and never interferes,” says pace spearhead Zaheer Khan.

While Dhoni may have a penchant for getting into long drawls when addressing the media,team mates say that he is a man of action rather than words when it comes to the dressing-room. “Before he became captain,MS hardly spoke during team meetings and kept to himself. Not much has changed since and he continues to be very limited with his words,” says Prasad.

Oozing self-confidence
Captaincy has affected even some of the legends of the game when it came to their personal performances,but Dhoni relishes the role and basks in it. He has averaged 58.86 as captain in ODIs,while scoring four of his seven centuries and 21 out of 35 half-centuries without a duck. His average in 13 Tests as captain,meanwhile,is a staggering 71.85,which includes three out of his four tons. And on more than one occasion,Dhoni has ended up changing the complexion of a game — in all formats — with his individual brilliance.

Ashwin believes it is a result of his enormous self-confidence that Dhoni instills faith in his team mates. “He has the confidence that he can compensate for even three or fours of his players failing in a particular game,” says the young off-spinner.

Dinesh Karthik believes it is Dhoni’s ability to think on his feet and make plans according to the situation that is remarkable. “He does go in with plan A and plan B like other captains. But he doesn’t hesitate from putting new ones in place,” says Karthik.

And Dhoni didn’t wait too long before showing his audacity as captain,handing the inexperienced Joginder Sharma the responsibility of bowling the last over of the inaugural World T20 final — a move that won India the Cup. Former opener Lalchand Rajput,who was the manager of the team then,says that the skipper wanted to throw Sharma to the deep end right away against some of the best players in the world,and it paid off.

Rajput says that Dhoni ensures that there is always some music playing in the dressing-room so that the players can forget about the things that didn’t go their way. “His philosophy is simple. His most common statement to the team is ‘Pressure lena nahi chahiye,dena chahiye’ (Pressure should not be taken,it should be delivered),” says Rajput.

While the rest of the world struggles to fathom the enigma that is Dhoni,it could very well be the Indian skipper’s very words that provide a major hint.

Out of the box
Dhoni’s unorthodox moves have,at times,surprised experts,rivals and even his own coach. Often,though,they’ve proved to be masterstrokes

Holding back Sreesanth
Durban,Sept 2007
While most captains would’ve bowled out Sreesanth in one spell after his figures read 3-1-6-1 in the World T20 semis,Dhoni holds him back until the 15th. Sreesanth cleans up Hayden,India reach the final.

Bowl-out gamble works
Durban,Sept 2007
During the bowl-out against Pakistan,Dhoni’s top three includes batsmen Robin Uthappa and Virender Sehwag,and Harbhajan Singh. India win by a 3-0 scoreline.

Kartik coup
Mumbai,Oct 2007
Murali Kartik is pulled out of the television studio and put onto the cricket field against Australia in the ODI series. He responds with a match-winning 6/27.

Mishra gets a tip
Mohali,Oct 2008
In the Test against Australia in Mohali,Amit Mishra,who is bowling the last over of the day,is asked to come around the wicket by Dhoni. A well-set Shane Watson is trapped lbw.

The 8-1 Masterstroke
Nagpur,Nov 2008
While the world is used to negative leg-stump lines,Dhoni sets an 8-1 off-side field against Australia. With bowlers delivering well outside the off-stump,the run flow slows down to a trickle.

Ball does
The talking Jo’burg,Sept 2009
Not impressed by Abhishek Nayar’s credentials as a batting all-rounder,Dhoni makes a point to the selectors by rolling his arm over in the Champions Trophy. In his first over in ODI cricket,he takes a wicket.

The Perfect Placement
Mumbai,April 2010
As the straight-hitting Kieron Pollard threatens to lead the Mumbai Indians to the IPL trophy,Dhoni places Matthew Hayden at the fine mid-off position. Pollard holes out at that exact spot.

The Joginder move
Johannesburg,Sept 2007
Journeyman Joginder Sharma is given the ball for the final over of the World T20 final in place of old-hand Harbhajan Singh. Four balls later,India clinch the title.

In T20 cricket,it is very important to have a clear game-plan as there’s not much time to think. As far as setting fields is concerned,I’ve always got the freedom. MS has full faith in me.
Zaheer Khan,India pacer

He is not a dominating character,nor does he try to be one. He doesn’t go by records. Even if a team have lost 70% of games batting first at a certain venue,he wouldn’t mind choosing to bat there.
Venkatesh Prasad,Super Kings coach

In the IPL final,after (Abhishek) Nayar hit me for a couple of sixes,Dhoni told me I will have a bigger job later when the likes of Rayudu and Pollard come out to bat. That’s what happened.
Shadab Jakati,Super Kings spinner

I have never seen him panic. I think the best part (about his captaincy) is he knows each player’s strength and weakness. Even in his batting,he has transformed from being a hitter to a finisher.
Rohit Sharma,India batsman

He is always a step ahead of everyone else. He is modest and is a good communicator. He is good at man management and has the same kind of respect for everyone in the team.
Dilip Vengsarkar,Former chief selector

He has a knack of understanding the game quicker than anyone. He will come up with unorthodox fields,bowling line-ups and will not hesitate to change a settled batting order.
Dinesh Karthik,India batsman

Once he takes a decision,he never shies away from it. There are no second thoughts. He backs a player regardless of whether he is doing well or not and that goes for both junior and senior players.
Virat Kohli,India batsman

MS always talks about positive things and about how to get the best out each individual. As a skipper he knows what his best XI is and he ensures that he backs each player to the hilt.
Yuvraj Singh,India all-rounder