http://www.senore.com/Cricket/MS-Dhoni-c2028 - Captain Cool will be key for India - Part 1 - Opinion
The spotlight would definitely be on a number of key players from various teams, to perform well in the ICC World T20 of 2012 in Sri Lanka. For India however, the onus rests on one man, who is widely regarded as the finest captain that the country has ever
had in its history. No one since http://www.senore.com/Cricket/SR-Tendulkar-c2556 has managed to garner the support of billions of cricket fans around the globe. Not many have been able to stay collected in a country, where cricket is treated as a religion, and defeat is considered to be
an intrusion on private grief. Yet this man from Bihar has continued to carry the hopes and expectations of his passionate fans on his shoulders, and will be expected to lead the Indian team from the front once again.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni is an icon, a phenomenon, possibly the greatest thing that has happened to Indian cricket since Sachin Tendulkar emerged from http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Mumbai-c820. As a player, he oozes with class with the willow in hand and with the gloves on as well. His cool quotient
has never waned away since he arrived into the Indian team, and he is the best player in the current India T20 squad, by a distance. Yet, it is his leadership which stands out as the key factor through which the Indian team’s confidence has been rebuilt. A
side that was known to be flat deck bullies became world champions under his realm, and he became the icon that India needed amid all the setbacks and failures.
It was under Dhoni’s leadership when a young Indian side became champions of the inaugural edition of the ICC World T20 which was played in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/South-Africa-c757. His thunderous hitting and sharp wicket keeping skills were one of the highlights of that tournament.
Yet what that tournament demonstrated was the leadership qualities that MS Dhoni has. Whether it is innate or inherited is a different debate altogether, but there is no denying the fact that his calm captaincy and sense of command over proceedings was the
defining moment for his team in that tournament. He is not known to fluster, and would probably grin or smile over a stingy question at a press conference. He is also not known to wither under pressure either and considers misfortune to be a part of the game.
He smiles in almost every situation, yet ensures that things would work in his favor if the going gets tough for his team, without an aggressive intent. India as a team has been known for its emotional outbursts on the field, and at times their decision to
be outright aggressive has lead to their demise. Yet in recent years, the T20 team has become a far more balanced side under Dhoni’s demonstrative leadership. He is undoubtedly the best captain that http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750 has had, and arguably the finest that the world has
ever seen in T20 cricket.
The pocket sized, tantalizing version of cricket however, can ruffle the calmest of individuals due to its unpredictable and fast paced nature. Dhoni however, is a tough cookie and has great tolerance for pressure. He is the right man to lead this side which
oozes with talent, amid all the chaos that Indian cricket has gone through. Unconvincing performances since the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/ICC-World-Cup-2011-c100625 World Cup of 2011 have underlined the frailties of a team which was brimming with over confidence since that feat. Yet Dhoni continued to be
under fire and responded calmly to the vociferous criticism that came his way. If the recent routing of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Sri-Lanka-c758 by India in a T20 fixture prior to this tournament is anything to go by, then one can rest assured that those opposing India will have to face
a staunch skipper.
Continued in Part 2...
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