India captain has done the impossible by beating Lanka in back-to-back series at home
Mahendra Singh Dhoni celebrates during the third one-dayer against Sri Lanka in Colombo yesterday. PICS/AFP
India captain has done the impossible by beating Lanka in back-to-back series at home
IN cricket, winning in Sri Lanka is as tough as returning victorious in a battle against the Taliban in Kabul. As the terrain is hostile and the local warriors fierce and determined in the Afghan region, so too are the conditions most difficult to adapt for visiting teams in the Island nation.
Even Steve Waugh's mighty Australians at their peak bit dust there. Fresh from their 1999 World Cup win, Waugh's men were beaten in the Aiwa Cup by the hosts. Overall, Australia has six wins against 12 losses in Sri Lanka against the hosts.
Dream stuff
In this background, the fact that India has annihilated the Lankans on their own turf is dream stuff. Mahendra Singh Dhoni has just achieved the impossible winning back-to-back one-day series in Lanka. That too, in some style blanking the home team in the first three games this time.
It is quite obvious that there is a lot of management involved apart from cricket in the fine performance of the Indian team.
Captaincy is all about taking decisions and Dhoni has proved that he is not afraid to take the call, more often going with his gut feeling.
Two incidents from this series stand out. His decision to bat first in the first ODI at Dambulla surprised a few experts, but Dhoni proved he had his plan right with a comfortable win.
He believes in giving bowlers the space and formulate their own gameplan. But in the second ODI when he saw his main strike bowler Ishant Sharma's performance slip a bit with the game in balance, he dealt with a firm hand. He was quick to interrupt the bowler and got him to bowl according to the field. It was no coincidence that Sharma proved the difference at the finish and walked away with the man of the match award.
Not only is he an astute captain. He also has the ability to lead from the front. When the Indian batsmen were clueless against Ajantha Mendis' unorthodox brand of spin during the last ODI series, Dhoni showed the way by playing him superbly for scores of 6, 39, 76, 71 and 1.
He was brilliant with the bat in the triangular CB Series in Australia too, lifting the side with 347 runs in 10 games (average 69.40).
Toughest job
It's not without good reason that Indian captaincy is considered the most demanding in international cricket.
The Indian team faces too many distractions off the field. There is great responsibility for a captain off the field too. A dressing room insider says Dhoni has been marvelous in creating the ideal atmosphere. Keeping everything simple is his mantra. The source says: "He has not changed after getting the captaincy. He will even be sitting with everyone on the floor and eating. 'Sab normal rakhne ka ' he says."
The positive body language of the players is proof of the harmony. "The body language is very important. In India, cricket is very big and the main thing is to enjoy our cricket. That is what we try to do. We back each other and enjoy each other's success," said Dhoni after leading his team to a 3-0 win in Colombo yesterday.
Not many gave Dhoni a chance to survive as captain because the workload would be too much. For a wicketkeeper to lead all three teams Twenty20, one-day and the Test team, is some ask. Dhoni has not only survived. He is exceeding all expectations.
ADVERTISEMENT
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
