Role Reversal

Dhoni has regained his aura by sealing ODI series,while England seem to have lost theirs

It8217;s not that he lacks a sense of accomplishment or that victory fails to get him excited. Mahendra Singh Dhonis uber-cool exterior is no well-rehearsed facade either. He shows no emotions when anchoring a nerve-wracking run-chase,and certainly not after he has taken India over the line. Nor does defeat seem to deflate his innate self-confidence to a great extent.

During a four-year stint where he has accomplished more accolades than most Indian captains,the 30-year-old has proved over and again that he is indeed the quintessential ice-man.

This most remarkable of facets that Dhoni possesses had been in full view as India clinched the five-match series rather prematurely at Mohali on Thursday. The target of 299 was,for all practical purposes,a stiff one. But as fans and teammates alike crept closer towards the edge of their seats during the dying moments of the contest,the Indian skipper had almost matter-of-factly smacked two boundaries in the last over to carry his team home. And while Ravindra Jadeja celebrated the series-win dramatically,all Dhoni had to offer in contrast was a timid pump of the fist.

The series had been tagged with a revenge theme not only in the television promos,but even according to insiders within the confines of the Indian dressing-room. But as the rest of his team revelled in the ecstacy of having returned the favour to the visiting Englishmen,Dhonis sentiments seemed to reflect more relief than elation. That,however,has forever been the mans preferred mode of celebration.

Little nostalgia

Dhoni had proved that the magnitude of his achievement doesnt really matter in that regard just over six months ago after smashing Nuwan Kulasekara for arguably the most famous six in Indian cricket history. And knowing Dhoni,it is unlikely that there would have been much nostalgia attached to his stream of thought as he ambled down the dressing-room steps for his batting stint on Saturday at the very venue where he won India the Cup. The focus for the ever-pragmatic Indian captain will rather be on getting the better of a beleagured England outfit one more time on Sunday.

No.1 on Alastair Cooks agenda,however,will be somehow finding a way of getting rid of his counterpart. Dhoni has after all averaged an unfathomable 319 in his last five ODI innings against England,which includes four half-centuries and two match-winning essays. His average in this format too has touched the 50-mark again. As the major thorn in the English flesh,Dhoni has already dealt irreparable damage as far as the series is concerned. But in order to redeem some dignity from hereon,halting the Indian skippers juggernaut will be integral to their plans.

The glory scenes of April 2 would have seemed a fair distance away as India plummeted to a disparaging 4-0 disaster in the Test series Team India and their inspirational captain. Back then Dhoni was under the cosh. Everything from his willingness and aptitude to play Tests had come under scrutiny.

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Although the world champions,quite astonishingly,didnt win a single match in the following ODI series either,they competed and most importantly Dhoni had regained his touch. He had single-handedly flown the flag for India during the limited-overs leg of their English disaster,winning the man-of-the-series award despite the eventual 3-0 loss.

And now having played an integral role in finishing off Englands hopes on Indian soil,Dhonis halo is back. It is likely that Englands woes will only worsen come Sunday on a wicket expected to favour the batsmen. Whatever the result,it is unlikely that Dhoni will look perturbed. At face value anyway.