MSD can do no wrong

There have been instances in the past when the Indian cricket captain has been the total, complete and absolute leader, the undisputed master of all he surveyed. The cases of Ajit Wadekar in the early 70s, Sunil Gavaskar in the late 70s and early 80s, Md Azharuddin in the early and mid 90s and Sourav Ganguly in the early years of the new millennium come immediately to mind. But no one has been in a more undisputed position than the present incumbent.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni can do no wrong. He can walk on water or climb Mount Everest without oxygen. The cynics might still say he is lucky and that he has too many things in his favour. But then don't all successful captains have more than their share of good fortune? And after all did not Richie Benaud one of the greatest of all leaders point out that captaincy is ten percent skill and ninety per cent luck? Without that all-important element of good fortune even the shrewdest captains have seen their grandiose plans and elaborate strategies come unstuck.

On the other hand too much must not be made of the luck factor as far as Dhoni is concerned. Even with everything falling into place one cannot have Dhoni's record as captain just on this factor alone. He has notched up too many significant achievements to be called as just another lucky captain and now of course has come his latest and greatest triumph by way of bringing back the Fifty50 World Cup to India after 28 years.

The uplifting, invigorating effect of just one player in the side! He does not have to be of outstanding ability or personality. He simply needs to be a little different from the others, to possess an aura about him and he can work wonders. That's what Dhoni has done. On dynamism and entertainment value he was the best thing to happen to Indian cricket in eons. And now on results under his leadership he is again the best thing to happen to Indian cricket in eons.

Clearly the single most impressive factor is Dhoni's ability to maintain equanimity even under intense pressure. The moves of the Indian cricket captain are dissected and bisected like nothing else by millions of fans what with the game enjoying the status of a religion in this country. But Dhoni through all this has remained 'Captain Cool', never flustered by happenings on and off the field. In an era when players display their emotions openly (and in some cases almost vulgarly) Dhoni's calm exterior is perhaps the most welcome sight in the game.

Dhoni has clearly debunked the age-old cliche that a captain is only as good as his team. He has always believed that a captain can transform a team and make things happen. He believes that good, successful captaincy is all about getting a cricketer to play above his level. After all, what is a captain if not a motivator? Dhoni has instilled in his team a sense of self confidence something that he possesses in abundance. The simple fact that the Indian team won the World Cup without possessing a strong bowling line-up and with the fielding below the highest international standards best illustrates this. The ultimate measure is results and on that basis Dhoni the captain is arguably the best thing to happen to Indian cricket. Even Azharuddin and Ganguly hitherto the most successful Indian captains did not enjoy this kind of unbroken run of triumphs.

The Indian captaincy need not be a crown of thorns as Rahul Dravid made it seem when he resigned in 2007. It all depends on the captain's attitude and Dhoni's has been refreshingly different. It is palpable that he is actually enjoying the job even while taking difficult situations and adverse conditions in his stride. His perennial sunny smile symbolizes his optimism, his upbeat mood.

Dhoni has spelt out his philosophy many times. He has always maintained that he wanted his team to enjoy the game. "When you take the pressure situation of a big game and start worrying about results, it does affect your performance. So I have told my team not to take any pressure on themselves,’" he has been quoted as saying. There has been a lot of self-belief, confidence, commitment and desire shown by the players. They have dared to be aggressive, backed their instincts and achieved results. Dhoni's hands-on captaincy has made him an inspiring leader who considers himself first among equals. Apparently with Dhoni what you see is what you get. He is clearly the most intuitive captain since Kapil Dev. He himself has said that he goes more by instinct when it comes to making a decision on the field or in picking a particular player.

Dhoni's captaincy has been marked by innovative touches by way of shrewd bowling changes, placing fieldsmen in attacking positions and the willingness to try something different. Like his batting, his captaincy too is adventurous and full of surprises. Little wonder then that Sachin Tendulkar has rated him the best of the captains he has played under. Behind that perennial smile lurks a wise cricketing brain high on man management skills and his calm demeanour and "Captain Cool" image are qualities that will continue to stand him in good stead. He has graduated naturally from the Twenty20 leadership to Fifty50 and to Test captain.

Right now everything Dhoni touches is turning into gold. He is the Teflon captain so much so that any criticism against his decisions has been rather muted. However no path can be full of roses and the Indian captain is bound to come up against the thorns sometime in the future. After all cricket, like life, can be a great leveler. But given his sunny, positive attitude, one cannot see Dhoni getting flustered or frustrated. He will take even such adverse situations in his stride.