MSD: Complete Captain

[flamy]

"Considering we beat the Aussies by 320 runs, some earlier captains would have lauded the brilliant performancesa nd forgotten the down points in the game, but Dhoni by picking the Viru, VVS dismissal in this presentation as the lowpoints shows that hez very much a realist in his captaincy and wants this team to improve even further, thats a good sign for the Team on the whole, thats why i said "We have more to come in this series, 2-0 would do nicely " Credit to shanemikhail for posting.

[SachDan]

Dhoni's got a stump as a souvenir' date=' but, [b']seeing that Ganguly doesn't have one, he gives it to him.- cricinfo A real good leader.:adore:

I can only laugh at that :haha::haha:

[flamy]

[Kohum]

You have to admit the toss seemed to play crucial part in this series. As evidenced in last 3 games when winning the toss and batting first was crucial.

Digital Shift Register you are. You seem to forget that on the same pitch - Indians scored at the run-rate of 4+. But Aussies were 54 / 5. How do you think that the Toss mattered?

[Fontaine]

His first test as captain against the world's best side and Dhoni manages to guide his team to a record breaking victory. Everything about this guy is all class. From the way he batted, to how he promoted himself up the order in the 2nd innings to bludgeon the Aussies, how he maintained such aggression on the field whether India were bowling or batting, to encouraging Mishra and then gifting Saurav a souvenier stump when he saw Saurav had none. And make no mistake, Dhoni could have declared a lot sooner but extending the lead to 500+ was all about sending a message to Australia for this test match and the rest of the tour about how badly they've been beaten. That's the kind of message the defeated players think about and it screws with their minds. Consider yourselves Dhoni'ed, Australia!!

[Sachinism]

His first test as captain against the world's best side and Dhoni manages to guide his team to a record breaking victory. Everything about this guy is all class. From the way he batted, to how he promoted himself up the order in the 2nd innings to bludgeon the Aussies, how he maintained such aggression on the field whether India were bowling or batting, to encouraging Mishra and then gifting Saurav a souvenier stump when he saw Saurav had none. And make no mistake, Dhoni could have declared a lot sooner but extending the lead to 500+ was all about sending a message to Australia for this test match and the rest of the tour about how badly they've been beaten. That's the kind of message the defeated players think about and it screws with their minds. Consider yourselves Dhoni'ed, Australia!!

He captained us once against SA too and we won that match as well :yay:

[flamy]

There's something about Dhoni http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/indvaus2008/content/current/story/374904.html There's something about Mahendra Singh Dhoni. His detractors call it luck, but whatever it is, it has worked. Twice this year, he has been told about half an hour before a Test that he will have to lead the side, and twice India have won comprehensively under him. If in Mohali, as he admitted, he was lucky to win the toss; in Kanpur, India won despite batting last on a crumbling spinners' paradise. If at all, he has been lucky that his players have produced special performances: Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman conducted a workshop on batting on bad pitches in Kanpur, and Dhoni got special performances from nine of the players in Mohali. His 100% win record is safe but Dhoni isn't shouting triumphantly from the rooftops just yet. "Playing [just] one Test and hitting a half century, you get an average of 50. So is the case if you hit a 100," Dhoni said, moments after securing India's biggest victory in terms of runs. "Your performance is counted over a longer duration of the game. I got my chance here but it was a team effort." Dhoni, however, has the Midas touch and it was summed up best when he asked the debutant Amit Mishra to go round the stumps in the last over of the second day. Mishra bowled an accurate wrong'un to trap Michael Clarke in front and one was reminded of the ploy to give Joginder Sharma the final over of the World Twenty20 final. But Dhoni, to the amusement of all present, only said, "Fluke tha yaar [it was a fluke]." What wasn't a fluke, though, was how Dhoni batted. He infused urgency into India's mindset with his aggressive approach and timely changes to the batting order. He had batted defensively in Bangalore and failed miserably, but in Mohali, he hooked his first ball for four - a statement that he wanted to make amends. "It was a perfect scenario," Dhoni said. "We had got off to a good start on a good batting track and the ball was old. I think that suited my form of batting because that is my strength. In between, if there is a situation, I can go back [on the defensive] like the Lord's innings." "But I should play the kind of cricket that I play more often, and that is aggressive cricket. In between I was not really playing my natural game, thinking more about the scenario and conditions. I need to play to my strength which is going out there looking to score runs. It is not only about hitting, it's about being fractionally more positive than others." There was a beautiful moment after the completion of India's 320-run win. While everybody rushed to grab a stump as a souvenir, Ganguly merely walked up to congratulate his team-mates. Dhoni gave the man playing his last series, and also a centurion in this match, the stump he had taken for himself. Dhoni later revealed that watching Ganguly was the most special part of this Test. "Sourav's getting to 7000 was very special. This is his last series and he is just going out and enjoying the game. He doesn't have any sort of pressure and that's how you want him to play. Sourav at his best, when he is playing his shots, is very different to others." And Ganguly, on his part, has played outstanding innings in both the Tests that Dhoni has captained. Keeping calm on the field is quickly becoming Dhoni's signature, and he kept his cool off it as well, when a couple of potentially explosive questions were put to him. He was asked about his players' behaviour during the Test - Zaheer Khan was fined 80% of his match fee - and whether overtly aggressive sledging was the only way to beat Australia. "The only way to beat Australia is to play good consistent cricket," was Dhoni's response. "If it was verbal we would have had hired a few guys who are very good in that aspect." The reporters, if looking for a controversial quote, could only smile in resignation. Dhoni was also asked to explain his appeal for a catch against Mitchell Johnson, one that he had taken on the bounce. Dhoni had appealed but straightaway asked the umpire to call the third umpire because he was not sure. Ricky Ponting was asked a similar question after the Sydney Test and he responded angrily asking the journalist whether he was questioning his integrity. Dhoni's response, however, was different. "I was not sure about the catch so I immediately got up and asked the umpire [gestures as if referring a decision to the third umpire], and Rudi [Koertzen] said that he [Johnson] never nicked it. So there was no point," Dhoni said. "There are times when the ball bounces in front of you and you are not really sure. Your eyes are closed at times but when you feel hard [impact] on the gloves, you think it has carried to you. Since, in this series, it is not about players, it is ultimately the umpire's decision whether to refer to the third umpire or not." His jokes apart, it was a perfect match for Dhoni. He won the toss and batted India to a dominant position in the first innings, almost all his bowling changes seemed to work, and, most importantly, he brought a ruthless touch to India's approach while setting a target. However, like he did in Kanpur, Dhoni was wearing Anil Kumble's blazer when he went out for the toss. "Stand-in captain, stand-in blazer," Dhoni said. The way he is going they might need to stitch one for him soon. ================================================================= He is MASTERCLASS! He knows how to handle people very very well. Some would call it Machiavellian, some would just call it acute social intelligence. Either way, he is the BEST captain India has ever seen. That's right, I said the BEST. After 3 years, we'll know if he actually is the BEST in the WORLD.

[Laaloo]

:yay::yay::two_thumbs_up::two_thumbs_up::eyedance::icflove::icflove:

[Lord]

best? wat about ganguly and a chap called kapil dev?

[flamy]

best? wat about ganguly and a chap called kapil dev?

mere shadows in front of Dhoni :D

[Sachinism]

What a guy what a career he's had

[flamy]

What a guy what a career he's had

what the...?

[Predator_05]

I am so tempted to photoshop the poster for "There's something about Mary" with Dhoni's face replacing Cameron Diaz's ugly mug.

[satishg]

he has had a great start to his captaincy career..hope he brings a lot more laurels to our country

[Sachinism]

what the...?

meaning had so far

[flamy]

meaning had so far

"What a career he's having" :icflove: :two_thumbs_up:

[Sachinism]

"What a career he's having" :icflove: :two_thumbs_up:

sorry i would never kill off his career like that :cheer: Go Dhoni :cheer:

[DomainK]

Very good read. Thanks for posting.

[Desi Cartman]

At first I thought this thread is about the special hair gel :D

[ludhianvi]

I am so tempted to photoshop the poster for "There's something about Mary" with Dhoni's face replacing Cameron Diaz's ugly mug.

:angelic: The negative quality with quite a few of the other captains is that they make horrible facial expression when someone misfields or something doesnt go their way. From what I have seen so far, Dhoni is different in this aspect. He keeps a positive attitude and hardly shows displeasing gestures or facial expressions. That is an attribute that the leader of any organization should have.