#3 Making fitness and fielding key criteria for team selection
While watching cricket in the late 90s and the early 2000s, Indian cricket fans always rued about the team’s fielding and fitness standards compared to the Aussies or Proteas. Dhoni’s appointment as captain changed Indian ground fielding and he also stressed on the importance of fitness.
He created a furore in the2012 Australian series when he categorically mentioned that only two out of Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwa, and Sachin Tendulkar could be included in playing XI because of their inconsistency in the fielding. The merit and demerits of that decision can be debated but that sent a clear message to players eyeing a place in the team: fitness and fielding are key criterias in team selection. Dhoni himself led by example.
He, all through his career, remained one of the fittest and fastest player on the pitch. The generation of players that came later were super fit and are among the best fielders in the world with the new in-charge Virat Kohli leading in both departments.
