Dhoni’s genius and not luck leads him to success

Mail Today – Mon 15 Jul, 2013 9:51 AM IST

Departing from , where I had gone to my old school, Rajkumar College, an eight- year- old young girl, who had heard me giving a motivational talk during the assembly that morning, walked up to me and asked an interesting question. The young and confident girl asked: “Sir, what did you feel when you played for India?” Taken by surprise, I did take a few moments to reply and told her my feeling of elation to represent my country, the anxiety as to how I would perform. I also told her how being successful for my family, friends and all the well wishers, who played a part in my development, was important.

The first shock to the system is when your name is announced in the playing XI. This usually takes place at team meetings the night before a match. The ritual is for one to say a few words to your teammates.

This is followed by a sleepless night of dreaming and constructing innings and grandiose performances.

The reality comes to the fore when one steps on to the ground. The noise of thousands of people brings one to the brink of nervousness and the butterflies in the tummy sends shivers up one’s spine.

Amidst these entire uncontrollable sensations, one radiates an external image of confidence of a well- trained sportsman.

Brtitain’s Andy Murray started the last week with an incredible performance by winning the Wimbledon singles title, and doing so for each and every British fan.

The burden of expectation must have been heavily lying on his shoulders and to come out with flying colours requires immense mental and physical strength and belief.

The Ashes series has started with a bang in England. A young 19-year-old Australian, Ashton Agar, has taken the world by storm by registering the highest score of 98 by a No. 11 batsman.

Ashton did indicate that he barely slept the night before and for him to have performed so remarkably in front of his near and dear ones speaks volumes for his self- confidence and ability.

Nothing is comparable to success. India winning the triangular series final with one by the timely knock of unflappable Mahendra Singh Dhoni makes one belief that maybe there are individuals who have either mastered their nerves, have unbelievable confidence in their ability or are just genius.

The way in which Dhoni completed the victory indicates that he seems to have all these three traits rolled into one.

I was in the audience of a debate recently, anchored by a well-known TV Channel head. The topic was to understand Dhoni’s performances and whether he has the luck of the devil or the acumen of a truly great leader. There were arguments for and against his tactics, bowling changes and his performances in leading the Test team.

But to me the most astonishing aspect was that all these individuals, who have been in the periphery of the Indian , were still trying to understand the Man Mountain. They all accepted the fact that the quite reclusive Dhoni has been one that not a single person has been able to fathom. He is a person who they say, is reserved and shows no emotion even to criticism or comments.

To effortlessly make the required 15 runs in just four balls of the last over of the match, speaks volumes of his capabilities and self- belief. One cannot just attribute all his winning achievements to luck, as there must be a streak of genius in him.

Staying ahead of the game: MS Dhoni

Sample this – you are coming in at a difficult situation in a World Cup final carrying the hopes of the nation on your shoulders. This is a match you simply can’t lose. This is the moment you had dreamt of while playing at the backyard with your brother. Teammates, spectators – everyone is looking at you expecting for a performance that would bring joy to their eyes. How’d you feel? That’s pressure.

Pressure can make you do silly things. It can make you look stupid. But it can also make you a star. A hero. It’s about how you handle it. You commit mistakes that you normally wouldn’t. Many crumble under pressure, only few thrive on it. For those who enjoy it, they earn a well deserved reward.

Performing under pressure is what distinguishes greatness from mediocrity. Great cricketers emerge successful under pressure. Those are the defying moments of their careers. When their names don’t feature in the scorecards, people remember and savour those moments. Like Sachin Tendulkar taking apart Warne at Sharjah, or ’s 153 at Bridgetown, or Ricky Ponting’s century at Jo’burg.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni has shown remarkable composure under enormous pressure. He simply loves it. It elevates his performances to the highest level. More often than not, he comes out on top defeating both the opposition and pressure. He stays calm letting the situation not affect him.

Dhoni doesn’t play his game on the cricketing field against eleven others. He plays it in the minds of the opposition. Like a chess master, his every move is an attempt to outwit and outsmart the opponent. Stay in the present, play the ball as it comes, tell the pundits. But he stays in the future. For Dhoni, present is past. It has already happened in his mind. He has visualised his helicopter crashing into the stands. If that doesn’t happen, he has thought what to do with the next ball.

That’s the power of this man. That’s what makes him win chases easily. He stays ahead of the game, ahead of everyone else. He keeps the opposition guessing. He pushes his counterpart to take risks. He throws down the gauntlet. Only few accept it and make him do things differently. Others follow the normal path, which is playing into the hands of Dhoni.

In the tri series final, Dhoni challenged Mathews to think differently. Three overs left, and Malinga can bowl only one of those. Mathews could have brought himself on or Eranga. But he went with the plan, bowling Malinga. By bowling himself or Eranga, Dhoni would have had to think differently. He might have tried to finish the game off in that over or he might have tried to save Ishant from facing Malinga – a risk not take. Instead, Malinga bowled, and the rest is history.

He is like a lion waiting for the prey to make the move. He waits for it and waits more for that moment to come. When it comes, he seizes victory from the jaws of defeat. He might have pushed the game to 50th over one too many times. But he has won it more often than not. He does all of it with a lot of style, without losing any substance. The flair and flamboyance is still there. He builds up the match to his own climax and writes his own script. He has found a new way to finish off games. The Dhoni way – making the impossible probable!

Dhoni kept the team focused

By Baidurjo Bose | Mail Today – 1 hour 51 minutes ago

Indian cricket was going through one of its lowest phases when Mahendra Singh Dhoni led the team to England for the ICC Champions Trophy. Critics had written the team off, and the spot-fixing allegations and questions over Dhoni’s business interests only made matters worse.

Even though BCCI had barred players from talking to the media about the burning issues, it was no secret that it was definitely at the back of their minds.

But Dhoni was clear about how he wanted things to pan out.

Addressing his first press conference on reaching England, he said that he wanted to keep the team away from the controversies and if players in the team are to be believed, he did a fantastic job.

One of the senior players told Mail Today that Dhoni, along with the management, ensured that the nerves of the youngsters were calmed to ensure that their focus didn’t shift away from the task at hand.

“While it all seems hunky-dory now, the first few days in England were really tough. We tried our best to focus on the upcoming tournament, but we are also human and would keep thinking about the mess subconsciously. This is where Dhoni and the management really helped. While Dhoni ensured that we weren’t bothered by the media, there would be meetings where the manager and other senior individuals would motivate us and talk about cricketing activities. I feel it was very important as one bad move prior to the tournament could have hampered our campaign,” the player said.

“The results of all the team bonding exercises and bonhomie among the players was pretty evident by the time the tournament started. It is often said that the mood inside the dressing room is reflected on the field and our performance shut everyone up. Once we won the Champions Trophy, things were much easier going into the triseries in the West Indies as we were completely in the zone by then and whatever happened prior to the Champions Trophy wasn’t even in the back of our minds. Most importantly, we were on a roll.”

A youngster who has come of age and looks to have cemented his place in the team after strong performances in England and the Caribbean feels that while Dhoni protected the younger players like an elder brother in England, his decision to stay with the team despite getting injured in the West Indies sent out the right signal to the players.

“Even as the media was waiting to pounce on us with questions on the fixing controversy, Dhoni protected us and ensured that we didn’t lose focus for a second. He would be more interested in discussing our roles in the team and how we needed to go about in the tournament in tough conditions. Also, he made us believe that one failure wouldn’t see us losing our place in the team. The atmosphere in the camp was fantastic,” he told Mail Today.

“Then, when he decided to stay back in the West Indies even after getting injured, it showed how much he cared for the team. It obviously matters to have someone as experienced as him sitting in the dressing room and sharing tips with us. His presence in itself worked as a boost. He guided us perfectly and it was only poetic justice that he won us the final.”

India lucky to have a captain like Dhoni: Laxman

IANS – Mon 15 Jul, 2013 9:16 AM IST

Kolkata: Lauding Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, retired stylish batsman V.V.S. Laxman on Sunday said that the national team was on track to defend its title in the 2015 ICC World Cup. Laxman said Dhoni had the unique quality of being able to respond to a tough situation with ease and praised the captain for unearthing a talent like Ravindra Jadeja, whose allround role enabled India win the West Indies tri- series after the Championship trophy triumph. "India is lucky to have a captain like him. He does get involved emotionally, that's his quality. His uniqueness lies in his ability to respond to a tough situation with ease," said Laxman on the sidelines of the Aakash Institute's annual award ceremony 'Vyom 2013' here.

Noting that Jadeja has come up as a great asset for the Indian team, Laxman said: "Dhoni backed him well, especially in utilising his bowling skills."

Expressing satisfaction over India's recent successes, he said the manner of victory over England in the Champions Trophy was "really commendable". He also gave credit to the youngsters for the side's stupendous show.

The middle-order batsman said the "cool and composed" Dhoni is steering the squad in the correct manner.

"He is properly managing the team. The team's performance in the recently concluded tri-series in West Indies is an indication that it is working in the right direction for the forthcoming World Cup," said Laxman, also showering praise on opener .

"The manner in which we beat England in England (in the Champions Trophy last month) was really commendable. I really appreciate the way he is instilling confidence among the youngsters. The youngsters should also be credited for the performance. It's a side that's going in the right direction ahead of the World Cup 2015," he said.

Laxman was confident about India keeping up the winning momentum in the coming trip to South Africa.

"India will be high on confidence after the 4-0 win over Australia. But they will get the real confidence if they can a overseas win on the South African soil. I am confident they will do well".

Laxman hoped master batsman Sachin Tendulkar would perform well in South Africa as he recalled the senior pro's three-figure knocks at Centurion and Capetown during India's previous visit to that country.

"I am sure he will go there with the fine memory of the two hundreds and have a fantastic series this time also," he added.

'Dhoni one of the greatest Indian ODI players' Former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly hails Dhoni

By Indo Asian News Service | IANS – Sat 13 Jul, 2013 9:16 PM IST

Kolkata, (IANS): After former India cricket captain Dilip Vengsarkar called Mahendra Singh Dhoni the best One-day match-finisher ever, ex-star Sourav Ganguly on Saturday rated the Jharkhand dasher as one of the greatest Indian ODI players.

Praising Dhoni for leading his team to an amazing victory in the tri-series final against Sri Lanka on Thursday, Ganguly said: "I have seen the entire match. It is really wonderful to see the kind of ice cool nerve as well as temperament he showed in the final."

Speaking at a programme of Bengali news channel ABP Ananda, he hailed the "cool" skipper's skill, ability as well as temperament.

"As a superb One-day player, Dhoni possesses tremendous match-finishing ability. I think in ODI, Dhoni is one of the greatest players of all times for India," he observed.

Dhoni smashed 16 runs in the last over to help India win the Tri-Nation series at the Queen's Park Oval in Trinidad. His innings was reminiscent of the one he played in Mumbai where he struck an unbeaten 91 against Sri Lanka in the World Cup 2011 final. "I have earlier seen many One-day players and also played with many cricketers. But as a package of , wicket-keeping and captaincy, he (Dhoni) has been outstanding for India," Ganguly said. Dhoni: Born to absorb pressure India needed 15 off the last over in the Tri-Nation Series final against Sri Lanka, but Dhoni sealed the win in style.

Mail Today – Sat 13 Jul, 2013 9:30 AM IST

New Delhi: To call India’s victory over Sri Lanka in the tri-series final on Thursday a Houdini act would be a great injustice to Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

The mind boggles when one tries to imagine the pressure on the skipper – 15 to get off six balls on a difficult Queen’s Park Oval wicket, and the last man at the other end. Failure is never an option, given the emotional nature of the Indian fan.

Dhoni called for a change of bats, picking the heaviest rapier in his repertoire. ―I went with a heavy bat, the weight was perfect for slogging,‖ he later said.

The first ball from the pacy Shaminda Eranga produced a huge swing and a miss. Dhoni walked to square leg, regrouped, and came back.

Dhoni says he backed his instincts to hit winning runs Magnificent Dhoni snatches trophy from Sri Lanka Coach feels Kohli should keep learning from Dhoni

Eranga bowled a length ball next up, and Dhoni freed his arms to deposit it deep into the second tier down the ground.

Next up, a that was slashed away behind point for four, followed by another length ball that was thrashed over extra cover for six. Job done and dusted, all on a hurting hamstring.

―I think I am blessed with a bit of good cricketing sense. I knew I could get 15 runs off the last over. I’m happy that it worked,‖ he said. ―Sometimes you don’t really wait to be 100 hundred per cent fit. The problem with a hamstring injury is that there is a chance of re-occurrence. Since it was the final and we have two months off after this, I thought about taking the risk.‖

Dhoni seems to have been born to absorb pressure. The equation wasn’t as difficult three overs before the end, but Lasith Malinga still had an over up his sleeve. Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathewsput him in charge of the 48th, and Dhoni took just two runs off it. No sweat.

Mathews’s aggressive move had paid no dividend, and he took it upon himself to deliver the death blow, trying to avenge every heartbreak the islanders have suffered at the hands of the Ranchi lad in the last few years. Unfortunately for him, proved as stubborn as Dhoni in resistance, protecting his wicket and giving the captain the exact launch pad he wanted.

―At times in these low scoring matches, you need to play boring cricket. It doesn’t matter whether you win in the 48th or 49th over,‖ he said.

It is no secret Dhoni loves the Sri Lankans — he averages 61.35 in 57 matches against them. Neither is his love for finishing a chase — in 72 successful chases, Dhoni averages a humongous 100.09, inflated no doubt by his penchant for staying unbeaten.

The most memorable example of both these facts came two years ago when Dhoni cracked that memorable unbeaten 91 to drive India to the World Cup title.

And once again, with a trophy on the line, Dhoni put his neck on the line and got it for India.

History will remember him as one of India’s greatest one-day players, and probably the greatest finisher this format of the game has ever seen. But for Dhoni, magnificence is just another day at the office.

LESSER- KNOWN DHONI FACTS

He didn’t always have straight hair. His curly hair was straightened and coloured by Dhiraj of Kaya Salon in Ranchi.

Used to ride around on his roommate Robin Kumar’s Bajaj Pulsar in Kharagpur, while he himself had only a bicycle. Now owns 14 motorcycles, including the Rs 28 X- 132 Hellcat.

Wasn’t as fond of milk as is generally believed, but used to drink it since he didn’t his friends’ favourite lassi. Couldn’t be away from cold drinks, though.

While his colleagues in Kharagpur would party and consume alcohol, Dhoni never showed interest in it. He was happy with chocolates instead.

The bat with which he played the last over of Thursday’s chase weighed a colossal 2kg. In contrast,Sachin Tendulkar, who is known to use one of heaviest bats in world cricket, usually prefers a 1.5kg bat.

Dhoni has now finished a successful chase a six on eight occasions. West Indies legend Brian Lara is second with five.

Invincible India win Tri-Nations Cup Captain Cool MS Dhoni returns from hamstring injury to deliver one-wicket triumph. Yahoo! Cricket – Thu 11 Jul, 2013 6:38 PM IST

Winning Shot: It ain't over until MSD says it's over.

PORT OF SPAIN: It was bitter deja-vu for Sri Lanka as MS Dhoni almost single-handedly denied them the Tri-Nations Cup with an innings of spectacular calmness and aggression on Thursday evening.

A sequence of implosions on either side all came down to Dhoni, arguably the best finisher in the modern game, facing Shaminda Eranga's last over of the match with India needing 15 to win. Eranga had bowled superbly throughout the game and Lanka were just one wicket away from what would have been a hard-earned title.

But the nerveless Dhoni, who missed the previous matches due to a hamstring injury, had other plans. And all they took were three deliveries: a monster hit that clattered onto the roof, a slash over point for four, and another savage hit over extra-cover for six. India's captain cool had done it again with an unbeaten 45 in acute crisis, guiding his team to victory after they had lost six for 43 runs during a disturbing phase of play.

India's one-wicket win was only the second occasion of this slender margin of victory in an ODI competition final involving three or more teams. The previous occasion was in Pakistan's famous verdict over India at Sharjah - the site of Javed Miandad's legendary last-ball six off Chetan Sharma.

Toppled over

It was a match of collapses. Sent in by India, Sri Lanka disintegrated to 201 all out from a strong 171/2, thanks to the combined firepower or Ravindra Jadeja (4/23) and R. Ashwin (2/42). India matched their rivals at the game of toppling over. They looked assured of an easy win on 139/3, needing just 63 in almost 20 overs, when Rangana Herath destroyed them with his left-arm spin.

Herath removed the well-set and determined (58) with a dirt-kisser that almost rolled onto the middle stump. He then claimed Jadeja and Ashwin off consecutive deliveries, sending alarm bells ringing in the Indian camp.

Things looked even graver because India had lost the breezy to his own folly a little earlier. That left skipper Dhoni alone with the tail to get the 50-odd for victory. faced 15 balls without scoring before Lasith Malinga speared a yorker onto his pads for India’s 8thwicket.

It looked all over when R. , who had replaced for the final, lasted 16 balls before yielding to temptation, leaving India nine wickets down. Dhoni, however, was up to the big moment, having seen his team through way bigger moments in what is already one of the most awe- inspiring ODI careers of all time.

Shaky start

The chase began with a stutter. Shikhar Dhawan, so central to India’s beginnings these days, was snared for 16 by an Eranga ball that rose ominously on him and rested in Sangakkara’s gloves behind the wicket. Two overs later the same bowler and fieldsman featured in ’s dismissal for 2, sinking India to 27/2 in the 11th over.

As he has all this series, Rohit played a holding role, seeing out the rough times and switching gears later. He partnered for 50 runs – the alliance ending when Karthik perished trying to hit Herath out of the park.

Rohit top-edged Malinga for six early in his knock, but gained control as he went along. A glorious cover drive and a pull off Malinga brought him a half-century and it was his wicket that triggered India’s slip into disaster.

Jadeja shines

Lanka had earlier suffered from an astonishing collapse of their own as they lost eight wickets for just 30 runs to be bundled out for 201. On a pitch that had a little something for bowlers of all types, only Sangakkara (71) and Thirimanne (46) stood out with the bat.

Expectedly it was swing bowler Bhuvnshwar’s early strikes that got things moving for India. The youngster saw off the backs of openers Upul Tharanga and Mahela Jayawardene: the former done in on the inside edge for Dhoni to take a smart catch down the legside; Jayawardene, in his 400th ODI, brain-freezing into slashing a wide delivery to slip.

The men in form, Sangakkara and Thirimanne, brought in a semblance of control through a 122-run alliance for the third wicket. Their time, however, was helped in no little measure by an untidy Indiain the field.

Cheap wickets

Ashwin, having recently made the position his own, dropped Thirimanne at slip when the batsman had scored 2. Dhoni then inexplicably chose to deploy part-timers Kohli and Raina, whose nine overs in total allowed the new batsmen to settle in.

Even the introduction of spin failed to make an impact – at least early on. Sangakkara looked especially dangerous as he turned it on with a spate of hits against Ishant Sharma in the batting Powerplay. But in the same over, Thirimanne was caught on an attempted slog. Sangakkara followed suit against Ashwin a couple of overs later.

Thus began an unimpeded slide as batsmen went on a spree of irresponsible hoicks. Jadeja was the biggest gainer with four wickets and was responsible for two of Dhoni’s three stumpings on the afternoon. None of Lanka's last six batsmen reached double figures. With Dhoni up to his tricks, it wouldn't have mattered anyway.

Dhoni says he backed his instincts to hit winning runs Dhoni used a heavier bat in the closing stages of the Tri-Nation Series final against Sri Lanka.

By Indo Asian News Service | IANS India Private Limited – Fri 12 Jul, 2013 5:23 AM IST

Port of Spain (Trinidad), July 12: A beaming India's skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni said after leading his team to an amazing victory in the tri-series final against Sri Lanka that he backed his instincts to get 15 runs in the last over to clinch the match.

Dhoni in his post-match remarks Thursday said he knew any bowler who was going to bowl the last over would not be as experienced as Lasith Malinga and he backed himself to get the required runs.

"I knew I could look forward to getting the 15 runs in the last over as Shaminda Eranga was an inexperienced bowler and my instinct worked today (Thursday)," Dhoni said.

Magnificent Dhoni snatches trophy from Sri Lanka Images from the Tri-Nation Series Final: India vs Sri Lanka

Dhoni said he had to change his bat twice in the closing stages of the match as he needed a heavier bat.

Dhoni, who pushed his deputy Virat Kohli ahead to receive the $60,000 winners' cheque and the Celkon trophy along with him as Kohli had led the side to the final, said he was blessed with a smart cricketing sense in assessing the situation.

A distraught Sri Lankan skipper Angelo Mathews felt that Dhoni was a great finisher and eventually he made the difference.

Mathews said his team had its opportunities to consolidate the position, first while batting and then in the field, but their effort fell short in the end.

"When Kumar Sangakkara and Lahiru Thirimanne were out there at 171 for two, we looked at a score of 230-240, but we lost quick wickets because of poor choice of shots," he said, adding that "his bowlers bowled brilliantly".

On the positive side, Mathews said the team showed a lot of character in entering the final and also the way they fought till the end.

Indian seamer Bhuvaneshwar Kumar was adjudged the Performer of the Series and was presented the Polaris car for finishing with 10 wickets in four matches, sharing the top bowling spot with Sri Lankan spinner Rengana Herath, who received the Housla Buland Academy award for the best bowler.

Rohit Sharma for the second match running was presented the Most Trusted Player award for his well compiled 58 while Dhoni was given the Man-of-the-Match award for his heroic match-winning 45 . Upul Tharanga and Mahela Jayawardene received the Perfect award for scoring centuries opening the innings against India in their first round-robin game.

Tharanga was the highest scorer in the series with 223 runs followed by Rohit with 217.

Mathews was given the Most Flexible Player award for his all-round performance in the series and West Indian Darren Bravo got the Safe Hands award for fielding.

Indian Cricket: MS Dhoni pens deal, overpowers Sachin Tendulkar Indian Cricket: MS Dhoni pens deal, overpowers Sachin Tendulkar

It is unarguable in the circumstance of today in Indian Cricket to compareMS Dhoni to Sachin Tendulkar in terms of popularity in the Indian masses. Mahendra Singh Dhoni overpowered Sachin as the highest paid Indian Sportsman as he signed a $42 million deal with Rhiti Sports Management. The money here is perhaps irrelevant to the concerns of the typical Indian Cricket fan. This is not to say that the Indian cricket fan does not care what a player does off the field, of course he does.

There is a charm about MS Dhoni that is reminiscent of Steve Waugh Still the money is not as important as the status MS Dhoni has achieved in Indian Cricket today. The boy from Ranchi has had a fairy tale life so far, he became the be all and end all of Indian Cricket from being nothing. MS Dhoni married his school sweet-heart Sakshi Rawat away from all media surveillance and became an icon in the eyes of almost everybody – from elite critics in English media to the common urban man to the hero of small town kids. MS Dhoni has truly become what Sachin was in the latter half of the 90’s and the initial part of the 21st century.

It is interesting that MS Dhoni has equaled Sachin in popularity when Sachin is at the peak of his career in terms of performance. His recent double century and herds of match winning performances in the recent past have not hindered Dhoni and his sky soaring popularity.

There is no doubt that Dhoni is far behind Sachin in achievements on the field but it can be said so only in comparison to Sachin. So, why is Dhoni such a big phenomenon?

In Dhoni India as a whole finds its best representation. An ambassador not just for the game but for the country. Many would attribute his success and icon status to the “midas touch” – a phrase used with Dhonimore than anybody else. Perhaps by the end of his career we will rephrase it to “Dhoni touch”. Mahendra Singh Dhoni is a very calculated man in his ways and his composure is exhibited in his post match presentation comments. He is a radical and yet a very politically correct person. He can defy the media from time to time but yet be their sweet-heart. May it be his press-conference where he came out with whole team after reports of a rift with Sehwag, or his secretive wedding – Dhoni has drawn the line where he wished.

Many of the critics of this new team have blasted their arrogant attitude, their behaviour on and off the field and their being poor ambassadors of the game. They feel that the Dravid’s and the Tendulkar’s were more dignified on the pitch. To me, Mahendra Singh Dhoni is the most elegant man on the pitch in terms of behaviour. He exults on victory and is dignified in defeat.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni – Captain Team India

There is a saying which might be appropriate in this context, “Everybody salutes the rising sun”. To me, Dhoni is no more a rising, he is at the pinnacle and I doubt if he will ever come down. “The three mistakes of my life” – Dhoni’s path to greatness

When announced his decision to step down as captain, BCCI decided to use the inaugural T20 World Cup as an opportunity to give youngsters a chance to play for the nation and nominated a young Mahendra Singh Dhoni to lead them. Dhoni’s first outing was against the arch rivals Pakistan. The game had gone down to the wire and witnessed the first ever bowl out in the T20 World Cup.

Dhoni walked into the field with a wide grin on his face and it was clear that he wasn’t one to fall prey to pressure easily. His composure was infectious as the new Indian lot looked a relaxed bunch when they came out for the ball out and hit the bulls eye thrice while their opponents failed to do so even once. MSD had registered his first win and there were many more to come.

Two weeks later, the two teams met again, this time in the final. India had a dream run in the tournament, overpowering the likes of South Africa, Englandand Australia. The final was a nail-biter of a match and had gone down to the wire again. Pakistan needed 12 runs off the last over with only one wicket in hand. The in-form Misbah Ul Haq was on strike and Dhoni had to make a vital decision on who would bowl the last over.

At one end, there was the little known Joginder Sharma and at the other was Harbhajan , the most experienced bowler in the team. Joginder (Jogi) had done reasonably well in the match with his out swingers while Harbhajan, who had a great tournament until then, was struggling to get this Yorkers in and was slog swept and pulled by Misbah for 3 sixes in his previous over. But just two nights back he had successfully uprooted the stumps of Michael Clark in the death overs to turn the game in India’s favor.

Most would have thought that Dhoni would give him another go and hope that he replicates the success again. It was then that Dhoni had made the first mistake of his life; he chose the new comer over the veteran!

There was a plan – Jogi would bowl his out swingers wide outside off stump to a packed offside field. Misbah’s options were limited; with the number 11 at the other end, he couldn’t afford to look for singles and had to go for the full Monty and back himself to clear the offside field.

In the second ball of the over, he did exactly that, with a thundering six! The game was even-stevens now. Pakistan was one hit away and India one wicket away, from creating history. Jogi stuck to the plan and it paid off. Misbah tried to shuffled across the off stump and scoop the bowl over fine leg, but all he managed to do was provide Sreesanth with a simple catch that sealed the deal for India.

Dhoni and his boys had created history and they had done it in style. India had found a new leader, one who showed courage to believe in current form over experience. This was the beginning of a new chapter for Indian cricket. April 2, 2011, Mumbai

Team India had found themselves in the World Cup finals again, but this time in the 50 over format. A lot had changed since their win in Johannesburg. Under the leadership of Dhoni, India had evolved into an incredible unit; they were the clear favorites for the tournament.

Sri Lanka posted an imposing total of 274 runs on board and Malinga made early inroads into the Indian top order, dismissing both Sehwag and Sachin early on. Kohli and Gambhir had somewhat steadied the ship with an 83 run stand, but when Dilshan caught Kohli off his own bowling, India were reeling with 160 runs more to get at almost 6 runs per over.

Everyone anticipated the in-form batsman to come in next. Yuvi had a wonderful run in the tournament and his match winning half century against Australia during a difficult chase in the quarterfinal meant that he had the talent and the temperament for the chase. This is when Dhoni made the second mistake of his life; he promoted himself up the order and walked in at No: 5.

Dhoni had a very ordinary tournament as a batsman until then, but he felt he was better equipped to negate the spin wizard Muralitharan. Coming from a captain who showed that he gave more preference to current form than experience in the last World Cup, this decision was very surprising.

But what transpired in the next hour and a half meant that this was yet another master stroke from Dhoni as he went on to complete a historic chase for India, scoring an unbeaten 91 and winning the trophy of glory for India after 28 years. Dhoni had just shown us that he was someone who considered adaptability of a player to the conditions than just his current form alone.

June 23, 2013, Edgbaston

It was the final of the last edition of the ICC Champions Trophy. Fittingly, the World Champions – Team India – were taking on the home side England.

India had recovered from an early stutter to put up a fighting total of 129 in 20 overs in a rain affected final which was reduced to 20 overs per side.

After a good opening spell against the English top order, Team India looked very much in the game. A resilient Bopara and Morgan then stitched together a useful partnership and threatened to take the game away from India. With the game again going to the final overs, Dhoni again had to make a tough choice of who would bowl the 18th over of the match.

With only 28 runs to defend and the power play overs up next, India needed to break this partnership very badly. Both Umesh and Bhuvaneshwar had done well in their spells and looked like the obvious choices. This is when Dhoni made the third mistake of his life; he decided to go with an erratic Ishant Sharma.

By now the whole world was accustomed to Dhoni’s bizarre decisions during crucial situations in the match. But more often than not, he had come out in flying colors. However, this decision seemed like clear suicide.

Ishant steamed in and was hit by Morgan for a boundary. It looked like this over would seal the match and ironically enough it did. But not exactly as many would have thought, as in the latter part of the over Ishant came back strongly and dismissed both Morgan and Bopara to give India the advantage, and the rest is history.

Dhoni had once again baffled everyone. Ishant was wayward and was struggling to adapt to the pitch unlike his peers, but Dhoni showed faith in his experienced campaigner. Thus, Dhoni had shown us that an ideal captain should always look to play the situation. On another day, Misbah would have hit Jogi over his head for another six and sealed the deal for Pakistan, Muralitharan would have foxed Dhoni with a wrong one around the wicket to disturb the timber as he had done so in the past and Ishant would have been smashed by Morgan and Bopara all over the park. All these moves would have looked like big mistakes that cost India its most prestigious trophies in the last 6 years.

Some may call it the “Midas touch”, while others might call it strategic brilliance. But the fact remains that Dhoni is the most successful Indian captain today, thanks to arguably the three mistakes of his life that turned out to be absolutely right!