India skipper Dhoni is his own man
When Mahendra Singh Dhoni opened the bowling with a spinner in his
first Test as captain in 2008, the message was clear - he would not be a
prisoner to convention.
Following hunches produced the desired results as Harbhajan Singh
responded with four second-innings wickets to help India level a
three-match series against South Africa on an underprepared,
spinner-friendly Kanpur track. "I prefer to go by instinct (in some
situations)," Dhoni said after leading his team to a tense one-run
victory over South Africa in the second one-day international in
Johannesburg last month.
Dhoni was the first wicket-keeper to lead India in Tests, but had
already proved his credentials as captain when his young side triumphed
in the inaugural World Twenty20 championships in South Africa in 2007.
His stock rose instantly as he was named one-day skipper the same
year, but at a time when India were trying to revive their fortunes in
the 50-over game after the disastrous 2007 World Cup campaign in the
Caribbean.
India bowed out in the first round after losing their opening match
against Bangladesh in Trinidad, with former Australian batsman Greg
Chappell as coach and Rahul Dravid as captain.
The national selectors plumped for Dhoni after record-breaking
batsman Sachin Tendulkar refused to lead and, in turn, recommended the
youngster for the job. All captains are under pressure, but an Indian
skipper is under more scrutiny than others because of fans' huge
expectations in the cricket-crazy country.
So far, Dhoni has handled the pressure remarkably well. He is not
merely a cool captain, but also a devastating batsman and a safe
wicket-keeper.
The burden of captaincy has not affected his batting as he cracked an
unbeaten half-century in his early months as one-day skipper, powering
his team to a five-wicket win over Pakistan in Guwahati in November
2007. NEW DELHI, Thursday (AFP) |