Dhoni over the moon

by Srian OBEYESEKERE

That Mahendra Singh Dhoni has translated a turbulent period of Indian cricket when he took over the captaincy after 2007 World Cup misfortunes from a virtual unknown in shaky times from long time skipper Rahul Dravid in the job marshalling many seniors of the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh and Virender Sehwag in a journey that has put Indian cricket right in the top summit is the best estimation of the 26-year old's captaincy virtues that have also shone on hugely consistent batsmanship and wicket-keeping.

Indeed, Indian cricket was in a cloud with the Test captaincy going to an ageing Anil Kumble nearing retirement after Dravid gave up the job some summers ago after a disastrous tour of Australia.

And their tilt at the World Cup had been a failure when the Indian selectors thrust the job on the young bloke who was only known as a dashing batsman and for his glove work.

The juggernaut was without a proper coach having fired Greg Chappell soon after the world cup.

Today, Dhoni, who was gradually also nursed to the Test mantle, has significantly lifted Indian cricket from that abyss and put his side abreast of the two super nations in world cricket and on the way denting Australia's invincibility with telling home series voyages in both forms of the game not so long ago and almost abreast of South Africa.

It is this captaincy ability of reading the game and which he has laced with a type of batsmanship of many a times rescuing his side from point of defeat to winning matches that has set the bronze faced Dhoni apart as a captain challenging both Australia's Ricky Ponting and South Africa's Greame Smith to be the No.1 captain in the world.

His catapultation has been on a crestwave of winning the Twenty/20 World Cup in 2008, a Test match win against South Africa playing hosts there, beating Australia 2-0 over there in a triangular series, getting the better of Pakistan in two series exchanges both away and at home, beating Sri Lanka 3-2, Australia in ODI series, drubbing England in an ODI 3-0 and Test series 2-0 and 4-1 defeat of Sri Lanka in ODIs this February.

Some of his losses include the Asia Cup to Sri Lanka and the away Test series to Sri Lanka 1-2 in 2008.

Conspicuously, Dhoni putting muscle around his team in all departments of the game that has seen all blossom fruitfully is the strong point in the graduation of a once dashing batsman who has today raised his batsmanship to a high point that has made the Indian captain the handsomely young bloke waltzing the summit of world cricket.