Rise of the Men in Blue - the monk and his few good men!

Ganguly or Dhoni – Who is the better captain? This is an ongoing debate that apparently has no conclusion. While Dada is viewed as the original macho-man of Indian cricket, Dhoni’s success has been largely attributed to “luck”. Though the titles tally tilts the scales towards Dhoni, leadership is a trait that can hardly be quantified with numbers. But if we scrutinize both men, there isn’t much difference in terms of impact.

Those who have followed Indian cricket closely in the last decade, know how Ganguly changed the way cricket was played in India. An enigma during his peak, Ganguly was admired by his team and the fans because of the way he led. He chose his men, instilled steel inside the team and galvanized them into a force. Most importantly, he taught India how to win.

In the year 2000, Sourav Ganguly took charge of an ailing side wounded with accusations of match-fixing. Come 2013, Dhoni finds himself in a similar predicament and now “Captain Cool” has drawn up the same blue-print that Ganguly used 13 years ago.

Ganguly scrapped off the seniors, backed the youngsters, put faith in their abilities and build a nucleus for the future. Dhoni, too, has shown the door to the ones with the inflated egos and has got rid of the liabilities on the field. He has invested in a few good men who might not be ultra-talented but can’t be faulted for effort.

But in the minds of an Indian cricket fan, it’s not the same. Shikhar Dhawan is nowhere close to Virender Sehwag neither Suresh Raina can match up to Yuvraj Singh. Ashwin is far less charismatic than Harbhajan Singh. while Bhuvneshwar Kumar lacks the zing of Zaheer Khan. Rohit Sharma will never be as dependable as Rahul Dravid and most importantly, there is no Sachin Tendulkar anymore. Apart from Virat Kohli, this Indian team lacks glamour and isn’t as elegant and classy as the one most of us grew up admiring.

This Indian team wins sans the showmanship. They keep it real. It lacks the brilliance of Sachin Tendulkar, the technical prowess of Rahul Dravid, the bravado of Sourav Ganguly and the histrionics of Harbhajan Singh. They don’t boast of supremely talented individuals but as a team they attack like ferocious pack of wolves. All of them have their own shortcomings but as an unit they look deadly. Moreover, they seem to enjoy the opportunity of creating a legacy.

Most importantly, Dhoni is making them tick and stick together by churning out performances from the less fancied Jadejas and Sharmas. Love him or hate him, Dhoni has led India in more than 200 matches across all formats and he’s won more than he’s lost. But he doesn’t seem to care because neither success nor defeat affects him. That’s why we despise MS Dhoni.

Indians love Bollywood. We love drama and emotions but the Indian captain denies us from any. His emotions are only reserved for the ads he features in and once he crosses the ropes, he strips them off his face.

Even after this stupendous win, Kohli activated the Gangnam Gayle mode but all Dhoni managed was a wry smile thanking his team. He has now won every tournament that he could have but he doesn’t seem to be bothered. His monk like demeanor can be scary at times but his eyes are on a bigger mission – to build a new side for the future – a team that’s lethal, clinical and never backs down.

He has found a few good men and till now the results are showing…

20-overs World Cup – 2007, Check

No. 1 Test side – 2010, Check

50–overs World Cup – 2011, Check

No. 1 ODI side – 2013, Check

Winning the ICC Champions Trophy unbeaten – 2013, okay, enough said!