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| Mahendra Singh Dhoni (Mahi) ---Gentleman with the Magic Wand |
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| Pitched By Subhangi Sinha | |||||||
| Tuesday, 11 November 2008 | |||||||
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THE magic wand that Mahendra Singh Dhoni had tucked in his gloves all this while finally came out in Nagpur on Monday. Everyone had suspected he was born with a rare form of Midas-itis but it turned out
to be nothing more than a wand that he brought to the ground along with his captain’s cap. For more than a year now, people wondered, how can anyone be on the money every single time? No mistakes, no blips and every member playing his part to perfection have the shades of a conductor rather than a wicket-keeper captain. Every skipper has his share of highs and lows but Dhoni’s lows are the envy of most, so rare their appearance. He led India to a huge win in Mohali and then clinched the Border- Gavaskar Trophy in Nagpur. Call it misfortune or happenstance but the two matches in which he didn’t captain were draws. Anil Kumble was given the reins of Indian cricket during a tough period when Rahul Dravid had suddenly decided to relinquish the post in order to concentrate on his batting. Kumble took over and galvanised India after the Sydney disaster to fashion a famous win in Perth. But it has undoubtedly been Dhoni who has led the team to some truly memorable wins, both in ODIs and Tests. Be it the CB series win in Australia this year, the Twenty20 World Cup win last year or the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, his cabinet is adorned by some of the most coveted silverware in international cricket. And to think, he has just begun. The rapid strides he has made as a player and a leader was well depicted in his gesture of handing over the captaincy to Ganguly when one wicket was left to be snared on Monday. It didn’t mean much as far as the outcome of the match was concerned but Dhoni once again captured the moment when it arrived. Allowing the harbinger of the new-age cricket one last chance to taste what he had so painstakingly presented to India was much more than any gift he will get in the days to come. Or for that matter, when he asked Anil Kumble to lift the trophy with him showed that he isn’t doing it for himself. Humility is a virtue that has come out almost every time he has won. No wild howling or war dance for him. Accepting victory as part of the game comes naturally to the swashbuckler. He knows that most of groundwork of building Team India was done by Ganguly, first, and Kumble. But still, his ability to take more than 100 per cent out of every player each time he calls them to deliver is as remarkable as his ability to come up with the goods with the bat whenever the chips are down. India were 166 for 6, with a lead of just over 250 on the penultimate day of the final Test when he teamed up with Harbhajan Singh to add 100 runs and take the match beyond the Aussies. The value of that knock might be forgotten in the times to come. He has almost stopped brandishing his bat like a mad samurai, opting to play in a much more controlled manner. This toned-down version of Dhoni is all the more lethal, with flashes of a sharp-shooter — waiting for his time and striking just once. There are many who say he is responsible for expediting the exit of the seniors. Yes, he did want a young ODI team of his choice, but the ends have always justified his means and his performance as a captain, with the gloves and the bat are second to none. Whenever the chips are down, when a partnership is threatening to take the game away from India or there is a batting collapse, Dhoni’s knack of taking the bull by the horns and coming out trumps never desert him. It helps that he has that magic wand with him.
3.25 Copyright (C) 2007 Alain Georgette / Copyright (C) 2006 Frantisek Hliva. All rights reserved."Newer news items:
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