Dhoni,the constant

In format that thrives on change,Indias four-time WT20 skipper face of stability

The shortest format of cricket,despite being on the verge of hosting its fourth World Championships in six years,has had its fair share of teething problems. While Twenty20 crickets popularity and its vast economic possibilities are hardly matters of doubt,its place in the scheme of things the way tours,series and cricketing calendars function is yet uncertain. Uncertainty,hence,or the lack of continuity in the progressive evolution of T20s has been its biggest drawback.

There,however,has been one exception to that rule; one player,in fact,who has been there right from the beginning in a commanding,almost moulding role of the game. Mahendra Singh Dhoni,Indias T20 captain who won the inaugural World T20 in his debut event as skipper,is about to lead his country for the fourth consecutive time. Nobody else from any other side in the world can boast of such permanency. And the corresponding stability that it brings with it.

Here,it will be quite fair to say that Dhoni has been T20s most grounding factor. And going into possibly his last pan-global campaign as captain of this side in this format,Team India will sure hope that Dhonis vast scale of experience acquired from playing countless hours in the Indian Premier League will come in handy to claim that trophy for the second time.

2007 start

Since 2007,the year that T20 cricket really went global,Dhoni has gone around gathering silverware for fun. Hes of course won the World T20 for India,two IPLs for the Chennai Super Kings and one Champions League for the same franchise.

With his image having gone a bit off the fizz following his crowning glory,the one-day World Cup trophy in 2011,Dhoni really wouldnt mind starting from scratch in an event that first catapulted him to his current status. It all started from this stage. I do not mind repeating it all over again. That will be a big positive for us, said Dhoni.

But can they really do it? The Indian skippers confidence stems from the fact that this team to Sri Lanka consists of eight players who were part of the 2007 triumph,and 10 members from the 2011 World Cup winning squad.

Through thick and thin,Dhoni has had the habit of backing his players to the hilt,even if it meant turning a blind eye to the progress made by the other countries many better than India now in T20s due to their ever changing policies with team compositions and captains-for-courses directives. Such as defending champions England,who won the title under Paul Collingwood and one that will be led by Stuart Broad in this edition.

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I have never been in charge for more than a week at a time, said Broad,who instantly slips in and out of the T20 captaincy role during a tour,playing opening fast bowler to erstwhile captain Andrew Strauss in the Tests and ODI now Test captain Alastair Cooks go-to man in one-dayers. Here,in Sri Lanka,I will have a month in charge. So now,I will get really to work on my skills as captain for a longer time, he says.

Same bunch

During this time,Broad will learn that selecting a core group and sticking with them is essential,something Dhoni has learnt in his IPL days. At the Indian captains behest,the Chennai Super Kings went out of their way to keep its squad intact,retaining four and re-buying the same squad at a higher price. CSK batsman and Australias specialist T20 captain George Bailey,was one of them.

With Australia,we usually do not get more than five or six days to spend as a group,so it is hard to get consistency. But in the UAE,we got to know each other better within the group, Bailey said. The Indians,on the other hand,have known each other as a group seemingly forever.

This squad is seemingly unchanged forever. Even today and for the World T20,Dhoni will avail the services of Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir,unarguably the best opening pair in world cricket. At No.3 is Virat Kohli officially the best ODI bat in the world. The middle order is packed with Suresh Raina,Yuvraj Singh and Dhoni,Captain Permanent himself.

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