Salute to the great captain MS Dhoni

MS Dhoni

Ricky Ponting, Steve Waugh, Graeme Smith and Arjuna Ranatunga – these are the names who have dominated the scene as the most successful captains in the recent era. As far as India is concerned, Saurav Ganguly has been one of the most result oriented captain of recent times. But where does MS Dhoni stand? Let’s try to find out.

The Indian captain recently equaled the record of Mohammed Azharuddin. On 9th of November 2013, Team India made a record of 5th consecutive Test win, and MS Dhoni equaled the record of winning 8 Tests by an innings. After MS Dhoni’s eight wins, Ganguly is standing on the next step of the ladder with 7 innings wins.

The vibrant Indian team finished the match at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens on the third day itself, thus recording a 5th in a row for the first time in the history of Indian cricket. This magnificent run started early this year in Chennai when India defeated Australia. India had defeated the Aussies 4-0.

Earlier, India had recorded four consecutive test wins only twice. In the year 2009-2010, India had defeated Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe. Also in 1993, India had recorded a win in four consecutive test matches against England and Zimbabwe. This was all about the stats, now let us look at what makes Dhoni a cut above the rest of the captains.

His excellent leadership gives space to newcomers. He is a very good strategist who leads by example. He is also very cool and composed under pressure. He never gets irritated and has never been disheartened in grievous situations. He takes a stand whenever needed and is highly professional. Yet, he is the heartthrob of all the team members.

Even legends like Sachin Tendulkar always feel comfortable playing under his captaincy.The best part is that Dhoni always supports his team members publicly – be it an aggressive gesture by Virat Kohli or the monkey gate incident relating to Harbhajan Singh.

In fact, he has got excellent coordination skills. Above all, the secret of his success is his observation power – he perfectly knows the strengths and weaknesses of each member of the squad. He is soft spoken and a man of few words, but discipline has been the keyword for his unparalleled success. He is able to infuse extreme confidence in his team mates.

By leading India in the next Test, he will be leveling the Indian record of most tests as captain (49), that is currently being held by Saurav Ganguly.

Also, there is no trophy left which Dhoni hasn’t won as captain. He has lifted the World Cup, t20 World Cup, Champions Trophy, Champions League and the IPL. No other captain in the world can match that record.

In my opinion, Dhoni is the best captain ever to grace the game. We should salute him, as we may never witness such a successful captain ever again!