Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Opinions on... Mahendra Singh Dhoni



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We will perhaps never know how good Mahendra Sing Dhoni is as a leader. Like Steve Waugh and Ponting, Dhoni is the beneficiary of greater efforts of men that came before him. At the same time the resume he has built up is phenomenal.


Unlike past captains like Dilip Vengsarkar, Rahul Dravid or Anil Kumble, captaincy was not given to him as an entitlement. He got it ahead of many of his peers and seniors because he had the knack for it.

Unlike Pataudi, Azharuddin or Ganguly, he did not have to build a side around him.

He was given a high performance, fully functional side on the ascendancy. May be like an Ajit Wadekar.

His short career can be viewed in two parts. The first with long hair and the second with a more traditional cut. With the long hair he was like a Yusuf Pathan. Pathan's beard phase that is. With the short hair he has displayed a side that many did not think he had.

With the long hair, he almost lost his Test place in the side to Dinesh Karthik but he pulled off a Paul Collingwood, before Paul Collingwood, at Lords in 2007. Since then he hasn't looked back. May be has, only to check if the short hair at the back of his head is to his liking.

Many wins later, he is now tasked with emulating Kapil Dev for a second time. The first time he emulated Kapil Dev, was not the real World Cup. This is the real World Cup. This one happens once in 4 years; sometimes 5. But not monthly like the one he won.

As a batsman he reminds me of Javed Miandad. In that he does not resemble a batsman. Perhaps a butcher. He is no where in the class of Javed Miandad but like with Pakistan and Miandad, India are never completely out of the game till he is batting.

Cool and Luck are words most frequently associated with him. Perhaps the later is a by product of the first.

I think India's fortunes are tied to Dhoni's in this world cup. Its not Sachin's to win. Its Dhoni's. And as long as  Mahendra Singh Dhoni is in the game, India are firm firm favorites.


Our other unsolicited opinions...
  1. Ashwell Prince
  2. Yuvraj Singh
  3. Jacques Kallis

5 comments:

straight point said...

he is fast turning out to be the apt example of good leader but not good captain...

Unknown said...

SP, you put it brilliantly.

Whenever I think of Dhoni, I always seem to feel that the package is incomplete. There is something lacking or missing! I haven't been able to quite place a finger on it yet... but I hope that does not stop him from lifting the World Cup on 2nd April.

Golandaaz said...

SP, sometimes a good leader can get away with being a not so good captain. But the other way round is not true. So what we have in Dhoni in my view is good. It could have been worse. To captain a team full of e-captains we need a leader

Vidooshak said...

C'mon you guys!! The lack of world cup buzz has done this to you. Idle minds becoming Devil's workshops. Dhoni has been doing just fine. He did a great job in South Africa. Just because he challenged Piyush Chawla to chip in with the bat, he's not good anymore.

Golandaaz said...

Dhoni finds form. I am feeling very good about our chances