MS Dhoni - The most successful captain of India

[directhit]

Dhoni ready for Test captaincy: Kirsten

http://www.rediff.com/cricket/2008/sep/02dhoni.htm

[directhit]

Kumble should pave way for Dhoni, says Akram

Anil Kumble has rendered a yeoman service to the Indian cricket team but it's time for the seasoned leg-spinner to quit and pass the Test captaincy to Mahendra Singh Dhoni, feels former Pakistan skipper Wasim Akram.

After India coach Gary Kirsten said that Dhoni is ready for Test captaincy, Akram echoed the view and said Kumble should quit at the top of his form, passing over the Test captaincy to Dhoni.

"I respect Anil for what he has achieved. He has done enough for India and I think it's time for him to take a bow at a time when he is still counted as one of the best," Akram told Mobile ESPN.

Though Kirsten said Dhoni's anointment as Test captain should not be rushed, for Kumble was doing a fine job, Akram felt the veteran spinner should not prolong his retirement and call it quits at a time when he is still regarded among the best in the business.

"Dhoni is the man" to replace Kumble, said Akram.

Thoroughly impressed by Dhoni's leadership qualities, Akram pointed out India's string of good shows under the star stumper-batsman and also referred to how Dhoni remodelled himself from a hard-hitting batsman to a middle-order mainstay.

Akram in fact went on to say that Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik should take a leaf out of Dhoni's book and learn how to lead from the front.

http://www.rediff.com/cricket/2008/sep/03akram.htm

[CEDYBLUE]

Congrats Dhoni!

Dhoni, Yuvraj make India proud at ICC awards

Posted at Thursday, 11 September 2008 10:09 IST
Dubai, Sep 11: Indian ODI captain, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, earned laurels for the country as he bagged the ODI Player of the Year award at the annual ICC awards function here.

Another feather was added in the country's cap as ICC honoured the magical six sixes spell cast by Yuvraj Singh who won the Twenty20 International Performance of the Year Award.

However, pacer Ishant Sharma missed out his award to Sri Lankan mystery spinner Ajantha Medis. Medis took the Emerging Player of the Year Award.

West Indies' Mr. Dependable Shivnarine Chanderpaul was adjudged Cricketer of the Year after a fine performance in Tests as well limited over cricket while South African fast bowler Dale Steyn earned the Test Cricketer of the Year Award.

Dhoni bagged the trophy despite tough competition from team-mate Sachin Tendulkar, Australian fast bowler Nathan Bracken and Pakistan stalwart Mohammad Yousuf.

Yuvraj was deservedly honoured for his stupendous six sixes in an over off Englishman Stuart Broad in the inaugural Twenty20 World Championship in South Africa last year.

On 19 September last during a Twenty20 World Championship match against England in Durban, Yuvraj smashed every delivery of the 19th over off England's Staurt Broad beyond the boundary rope, in the process registering a 12-ball half-century and putting his team on course for victory.

It was the first time a player had hit six sixes in a single Twenty20 International over. Herschelle Gibbs did it in an ODI during the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 in the West Indies while Garry Sobers became the first batsman to achieve the feat during a first-class match back in 1968.

During the voting period, Dhoni played 39 ODIs and scored 1,298 runs at an average of 49.92 and at a rate of 82.46 runs per 100 balls faced. In that time, he hit a century and nine fifties making sure he led his team from the front.

Dhoni also effected 62 dismissals (46 catches and 16 stumpings) as wicketkeeper, which is almost twice as many as the next best, albeit having played more matches than any other keeper.

He is currently ranked number one in the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for ODI batsmen.

Ryan ten Doeschate of the Netherlands won the ICC Associate Player of the Year award.

Sri Lanka Team bagged ICC Spirit of Cricket award for second year in row. Australia's Simon Taufel won fifth straight ICC Umpire of the Year award.

Tendulkar, however, found a place in the 12-man World ODI Team of the Year for the second year running, along with his captain Dhoni. Tendulkar was chosen along with Herschelle Gibbs of South Africa for the openers slot in the team led by Australia's Ricky Ponting who got the leadership position for second year in a row and named in the team for third year running.

The 12-man squad was chosen by a specially-appointed selection panel chaired by West Indian batting legend Clive Lloyd.

Virender Sehwag is the only Indian included in the 12-man World Test Team of the Year led by South African Graeme Smith.

In other awards, Simon Taufel of Australia won the Umpire of the Year Award for the fifth year in a row.

For the best cricketer award, Chanderpaul had to fight off tough competition from Sri Lankan captain Mahela Jayawardena as well as South Africans Graeme Smith and Dale Steyn to become the fifth player to win the coveted Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy.

The West Indian crisis man follows the footsteps of India's Rahul Dravid (2004), Andrew Flintoff of England and South Africa s Jacques Kallis (joint winners in 2005) and Ricky Ponting of Australia (2006, 2007) to take the top award.

For the Test Player of the Year, Steyn beat off Chanderpaul, Jayawardene and Proteas team-mate Jacques Kallis to win the first ICC award of his career.

[Kalyasi]

Congrats annan Dhoni!! Annanukku Jai!

[directhit]

There's something about Dhoni

There's something about Mahendra Singh Dhoni. His detractors call it luck, but whatever it is, it has worked. Twice this year, he has been told about half an hour before a Test that he will have to lead the side, and twice India have won comprehensively under him. If in Mohali, as he admitted, he was lucky to win the toss; in Kanpur, India won despite batting last on a crumbling spinners' paradise. If at all, he has been lucky that his players have produced special performances: Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman conducted a workshop on batting on bad pitches in Kanpur, and Dhoni got special performances from nine of the players in Mohali.

His 100% win record is safe but Dhoni isn't shouting triumphantly from the rooftops just yet. "Playing [just] one Test and hitting a half century, you get an average of 50. So is the case if you hit a 100," Dhoni said, moments after securing India's biggest victory in terms of runs. "Your performance is counted over a longer duration of the game. I got my chance here but it was a team effort."

Dhoni, however, has the Midas touch and it was summed up best when he asked the debutant Amit Mishra to go round the stumps in the last over of the second day. Mishra bowled an accurate wrong'un to trap Michael Clarke in front and one was reminded of the ploy to give Joginder Sharma the final over of the World Twenty20 final. But Dhoni, to the amusement of all present, only said, "Fluke tha yaar [It was a fluke]."

What wasn't a fluke, though, was how Dhoni batted. He infused urgency into India's mindset with his aggressive approach and timely changes to the batting order. He had batted defensively in Bangalore and failed miserably, but in Mohali, he hooked his first ball for four - a statement that he wanted to make amends.

"It was a perfect scenario," Dhoni said. "We had got off to a good start on a good batting track and the ball was old. I think that suited my form of batting because that is my strength. In between, if there is a situation, I can go back [on the defensive] like the Lord's innings."

"But I should play the kind of cricket that I play more often, and that is aggressive cricket. In between I was not really playing my natural game, thinking more about the scenario and conditions. I need to play to my strength which is going out there looking to score runs. It is not only about hitting, it's about being fractionally more positive than others."

There was a beautiful moment after the completion of India's 320-run win. While everybody rushed to grab a stump as a souvenir, Ganguly merely walked up to congratulate his team-mates. Dhoni gave the man playing his last series, and also a centurion in this match, the stump he had taken for himself.

Dhoni later revealed that watching Ganguly was the most special part of this Test. "Sourav's getting to 7000 was very special. This is his last series and he is just going out and enjoying the game. He doesn't have any sort of pressure and that's how you want him to play. Sourav at his best, when he is playing his shots, is very different to others." And Ganguly, on his part, has played outstanding innings in both the Tests that Dhoni has captained.

Keeping calm on the field is quickly becoming Dhoni's signature, and he kept his cool off it as well, when a couple of potentially explosive questions were put to him. He was asked about his players' behaviour during the Test - Zaheer Khan was fined 80% of his match fee - and whether overtly aggressive sledging was the only way to beat Australia. "The only way to beat Australia is to play good consistent cricket," was Dhoni's response. "If it was verbal we would have had hired a few guys who are very good in that aspect." :P The reporters, if looking for a controversial quote, could only smile in resignation.

Dhoni was also asked to explain his appeal for a catch against Mitchell Johnson, one that he had taken on the bounce. Dhoni had appealed but straightaway asked the umpire to call the third umpire because he was not sure. Ricky Ponting was asked a similar question after the Sydney Test and he responded angrily asking the journalist whether he was questioning his integrity. Dhoni's response, however, was different. "I was not sure about the catch so I immediately got up and asked the umpire [gestures as if referring a decision to the third umpire], and Rudi [Koertzen] said that he [Johnson] never nicked it. So there was no point," Dhoni said.

"There are times when the ball bounces in front of you and you are not really sure. Your eyes are closed at times but when you feel hard [impact] on the gloves, you think it has carried to you. Since, in this series, it is not about players, it is ultimately the umpire's decision whether to refer to the third umpire or not."

His jokes apart, it was a perfect match for Dhoni. He won the toss and batted India to a dominant position in the first innings, almost all his bowling changes seemed to work, and, most importantly, he brought a ruthless touch to India's approach while setting a target.

However, like he did in Kanpur, Dhoni was wearing Anil Kumble's blazer when he went out for the toss. "Stand-in captain, stand-in blazer," Dhoni said. The way he is going they might need to stitch one for him soon.

http://content-eap.cricinfo.com/indv...ry/374904.html

[MADDY]

MSD is the single most powerful man in indian team now..........but he is the most controversial and most opposed too.......the opposition he has from some quarters are more than wat even pakistani players faced once from indian fans :P ........i feel sorry for MSD's detractors, he is just making a mockery of their attacks and their fav stars

[HonestRaj]

Why, in recent times, Dhoni is not performing well when he is not a Captain? / What is his best knock in Tests when playing under Kumble?

[MADDY]

Why, in recent times, Dhoni is not performing well when he is not a Captain? / What is his best knock in Tests when playing under Kumble?

can reply to data, not to perceptions

M.S.Dhoni has become the Test captain he is easily the second most popular cricketer in the country .......all the best Dhoni

[directhit]

win the series 2-0 ATB

[HonestRaj]

Why, in recent times, Dhoni is not performing well when he is not a Captain? / What is his best knock in Tests when playing under Kumble?

can reply to data, not to perceptions

sure

A Kumble (as a Captain) - 10 403 57 26.86 (Mts Runs Best Avg)

http://stats.cricinfo.com/statsguru/...;type=allround

http://stats.cricinfo.com/statsguru/...d;view=innings

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Dhoni as a captain (when kumble is injured) & he was a ODI captain:

2 192 92 96.00

http://stats.cricinfo.com/statsguru/...;type=allround

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Dhoni as ODI captain - 36 1316 109* 54.83

http://stats.cricinfo.com/statsguru/...;type=allround

Dhoni's ODI career so far: 120 3793 183* 47.41


Data I collected after 2007 WC i.e., under Kumble's captaincy... when he had a definite chance to be a captain for Test also