"We saw how he spoke to others" - Dilip Vengasarkar explains why they chose MS Dhoni as India's captain in 2007

Former chief selector Dilip Vengasarkar stated that the BCCI selection committee looked at MS Dhoni's body language and "how he spoke to others" among other things before naming him as India's white-ball captain.

Rahul Dravid quit captaincy in the middle of the T20 World Cup in 2007, where Dhoni was leading a 'B' team temporarily. Sachin Tendulkar also refused the role and instead suggested the wicketkeeper-batter's name.

Vengasarkar stated that Tendulkar's recommendation wasn't the only reason behind promoting Dhoni.

“Apart from being an automatic choice in the team, you look at the player’s cricketing acumen, body language, ability to lead from the front and man management skills," Vengasarkar told Hindustan Times. "We saw Dhoni's approach to the game, body language, how he spoke to others; we got positive feedback."

MS Dhoni vindicated the BCCI's decision by winning the tournament, helped by Gautam Gambhir's 227 runs and RP Singh's 12 wickets in seven matches. The Ranchi-native captained 72 T20Is overall, winning 42 and losing 28. Chennai Super Kings then roped him in as their captain and he has led them to five titles so far, the joint-most in the IPL.

Why Sachin Tendulkar recommended MS Dhoni's name for India captaincy

Last year, Tendulkar shared that he recommended MS Dhoni's name for captaincy because, in their on-field conversations, the latter had shown a balanced and calm persona.

“This was in England when I was offered captaincy," Tendulkar said in an Infosys event in December. "I said we have a very good leader in the team who was still a junior, and he is someone you should look at closely. I have had a lot of conversations with him, more so on the field where I would field at first slip and ask him, what do you think? Though Rahul was the captain, I would ask him nand the feedback I received was very balanced, calm, yet very much matured."

The 41-year-old is currently recovering from a knee injury and is expected to be back with the Chennai Super Kings for IPL 2024.