Prior to the IPL, despite the T-20 world cup and the Australia ODI series, I have not been a full fledged fan of MSD. Somehow I thought he was just one step better than Yuvi and was riding a lot on his luck (with too much fluff). But the IPL has made me a convert especially seeing all the other captains in action at the same time.
- He takes victories and defeats in his stride.
- He is able to get the maximum out of the team at hand.
- He is aware of the situation (like the fact that D/L method would come into play against KKR).
- I like his comments like “sone ke liya baadh may waqt milege”.
- His keeping is good – because he makes very few mistakes at the crunch times.
- His batting has evolved – he is batting more responsibly but still with aggression – imagine if he did an Afridi (here one minute, gone the next) the Indian fan base/media will eat him up.
- He is probably very aware that these “good times” with full adulation will eventually end for him and someone else will take on the mantle (something Ganguly does not seem ready for). So he “appears” to take this with equanimity – though maximizing the money and fame in the meantime :-)
- And his off-field style is great :-) He carries himself very well.
Things he can improve:
- His post match conferences when he sometimes targets “his opening batsmen” or “weak bowling”, can be more diplomatic.
- Not sure if he is open to new ideas?
What are your thoughts on Dhoni as a captain?
I would rate him above average.
BTW, Did you notice the huddle? This is the first time I have seen a losing team go into huddle.
Great. It shows he is good at keeping team motivated.
Comment by Ottayan — June 2, 2008 @ 10:28 am |
The huddle was a sharp contrast to SRT’s common-sense rant post loss.
Comment by ipl08 — June 2, 2008 @ 10:59 am |
Infact it was highly impressive with the way dhoni handled defeat yesterday.
The biggest nagging thought is, does dhoni take Chennai Superkings job seriously?
I haven’t watched any of his other regular matches, so i am not sure whether he has the same cool look always.
But when we see other captains in the field, dhoni is a complete contrast from others. It’s good to have a cool headed captain, but many times he seems too cool and this gives an impression that he’s not taking things seriously.
Comment by a fan — June 2, 2008 @ 4:37 pm |
Actually Dhoni reminds me of the “iceman” Kimi Raikkonen in F1. Kimi is unflappable, and you cannot tell when he walks out after a race, if he has won the race, crashed after leading for 55 laps or finished 10th. But once he is in his car, he is just great (he is supposed to be cool and calculating). And I think it is in-built for every successful sportsman to be competitive – so I don’t believe Dhoni is complacent about it.
Comment by ipl08 — June 2, 2008 @ 8:14 pm |
fan,
He was the same when India won the series in Australia.
Comment by Ottayan — June 3, 2008 @ 11:11 am |