Is Mahendra Singh Dhoni the greatest Indian captain ever?

MS Dhoni

India, a pious country, has one religion in particular that has a billion followers – cricket. So you can only imagine that a captain of the cricket team is worshipped with great devotion, in some cases literally.

A cricketer in India will at times be showered with medals, accolades, love and affection; at times his posters burned and his house vandalized. A captain moreover, will be showered with praise by the media, be regarded as some modern day gladiator in whites when the matches are won; and dissected, humiliated, and blamed with such rancour at losses you’d think he was the biggest mistake BCCI ever made. Captaining India is one the perfect examples of a double-edged sword.

Ask an octogenarian, a 30-something individual and an 18-year-old, who do they think is the best captain India ever had? Chances are, you might not hear the name Mahendra Singh Dhoni on all three occasions. Names likely to be put out there would be something like – Colonel C.K. Nayudu, MAK Pataudi and Sourav Ganguly.

Some of you would frown upon the name C.K. Nayudu. Well, he was the captain of the side in the first ever official Test match India played in 1932, against England in their country. He, despite injuring his hand while taking a catch, was the highest run-scorer for his team, with 40 off 80 balls.

India lost the match despite some superlative bowling against the likes of Jardine and co. Nayudu captained in four Tests – lost three and managed to draw one. All against the mighty British. Can he be considered as the greatest captain of the Indian cricket team?

This query raises some more questions. Like, exactly what are the characteristics of a good captain? What makes a captain successful? The mark of a good captain is in his ability to give results, some might say. Others might point out that in order to be a good captain, he should be a good player first.

A captain’s inclusion in the playing XI should be justified on the back of his contribution towards getting wickets or scoring runs. A captain should have faith in his team and the team should reciprocate by showing faith in the captain. A good captain is one who has a plan ready when they play; a great captain is the one who can improvise on field when things don’t swing their way (pun unintended).

Rotating overs or a batting line-up that brings out the best in the players, and going and taking responsibility head on when needed, boosting the morale of the team players, understanding their psyche and working towards one common goal – winning, are reflective of a great captain’s thinking.

Talking of Indian cricket since the turn of the century, we can look at Sourav Ganguly and Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

Sourav Ganguly – An inspirational leader

Such an enigma on the field, Sourav Ganguly always wore his heart on his sleeve and was never shy of showing his emotions. The on-field arguments with the opposition, the aggression in his batting, the dismay at losing the World Cup final showed his passion for the game and his commitment for the team’s cause. His shirt swaying act at Lord’s gave no hoot about the importance of the place or ‘gentleman’s game’.

Ganguly captained the team when the sense of morality and self righteousness within the team was at its nadir. And like a sorcerer he spun his magic with the backing of the great team he’d built, defying England, winning in Australia and what not. Even if we forget the romance of it all, and focus only on the numbers, he was the most successful Test captain of India, winning 21 matches for the nation.

Yes, he was the most successful captain of India, but not any more.

Dhoni became the first captain to win all three ICC tournaments- ODI World Cup, T20 World Cup and Champions Trophy

With Dada’s rather unceremonious exit from the team, one that he did not deserve, India found itself rather orphaned as other pillars of the team like Dravid shied away from the spotlight after brief stints at the helm.

In such a scenario, MS was handed the reins of an ODI side which was beginning to wobble like a rusty old table and a new T20 side which wailed like an infant. The Test captaincy came much later, and was much debated about. His poker face expressions, devoid of extreme emotions on either winning or losing felt almost unreal after Dada’s antics on the field.

Cool, calm and poised, Dhoni instilled fear and respect in equal measures in many hearts. You could never guess what was going on in the genius brain of his.

Handing that last over to Joginder Sharma over a more experienced player like Harbhajan Singh in a T20 World Cup final, coming in to bat before ahead of an in-form batsman in a World Cup final, and more recently, giving that one crucial over to Ishant Sharma in the final of Champions Trophy – the risks this guy takes could be fatal for the weak hearted.

In an interview, he said that the biggest accolade for him was the fact that Sachin Tendulkar himself suggested that he be made the captain of the Indian cricket team.

What did Sachin see in this new lad from Ranchi? The answer lay in his honesty. He was not the one to mumble “yes sir, no sir, 3 bags full sir”; he gave his direct, frank opinion and was not afraid to do so. Mind you, he was not outspoken, there’s a thin line between being frank and speaking when not needed – he just believed in crossing the boundaries in the game with his shots.

When he was made the captain, sadists smirked and said, “He’s been given a team on a platter. We’ll see what he can do when this team is no longer capable.”

What Dhoni did next was ingenious. He slowly, slyly but effectively made sure that when the seniors could no longer contribute, there were replacements ready. People were shocked, outraged at the audacity he displayed in building a team that had no former heroes.

But when the team’s fortunes turned for the better, the same people chanted on the streets the name of Dhoni and gave way to new heroes in their hearts, a new Sehwag, new Gambhir, new Zaheer Khan and even a new Sachin Tendulkar.

Amidst all these changes, stood the Gandalf (no, not because of his white beard) of Indian cricket – the wise MSD.

So what makes MSD a great captain? He meets all the criteria I mention above. He’s a captain who leads by example not just through his performance on the field, but in terms of behaviour, fitness, decision making, and improvisation too.

He stands by his team come what may and trusts the players wholeheartedly. He brings out the best in them. If we have to draw comparisons between captains, a good measure is the success in Test cricket.

Dhoni overtook Ganguly in the terms of no. of Test wins – winning 24 matches out of 47, more than Ganguly’s 21 out of 49. The results speak for themselves. Apart from being successful in the newly born T20 format and being World no. 1 in ODIs, MS showed that basics are always important and triumphed in the Tests too.

So is Dhoni the greatest captain India has ever produced? Comparing him with the likes of Nayudu and Pataudi, and even Ganguly would be unfair to the legends.

Nayudu had no results to show, but one must consider that for a non-royal, representing a team that opposed his captaincy and leaving a mark on the English soil was a commendable achievement. The teams, the conditions, the facilities were very different then. One could get nostalgic and say that the captains from the last century were the founding fathers, the messiahs of cricket in India and no one could disagree.

Yet, one has to acknowledge that MS has done a stupendous job as a captain and not just India, but the whole world thinks so. He may have an internal support system in the BCCI and copious amount of luck, but the talent shows. You can pretend to be good only for a while. But being the best – or one of the best – needs a special gift.

The bottom line – MS Dhoni’s reign has brought unprecedented success for Indian cricket

MS Dhoni is one of the greatest captains India has ever produced. From being a young boy with long hair, resolute to give his all, to becoming a 32-year-old man, sporting short, salt and peppered hair, showing the same resolve to bring out his best, MS has evolved and come a long way.

How many captains would you remember after 50 years? Not many. But Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s name would reverberate down the memory lane for millions of cricket lovers.

So let me ask you this – Is MSD the best captain India has ever produced?

While we debate on that, MS shall go and win the next tournament. And the one after. And the one after.