MUNI THE BOSS

As though when heads were tumbling through the Indian team's turmoils, during the late 90s and later during Greg Chappell's coaching era, it seems like all that MS Dhoni did was chalk out a plan on how he would change things for the better. When granted the opportunity to lead, he showed himself ready and became the solution to most of India's problems, enough to finally fulfill expectations of a long-suffering crowd of supporters.


An Adam Gilchrist-inspired Mahendra Singh Dhoni was drafted in 2004 to solve India's wicketkeeper-batsman crisis following the failure of the Dravid experiment. His start was anything but legendary - getting out for a duck. It was his fifth outing when at home against Pakistan in 2005, that a blistering 148 which set up India for a win, made everyone take notice. It came after India had lost opener Tendulkar early and it was a performance which both calmed nerves and steered the ship - two qualities which would be Dhoni's hallmark in years to come. A mammoth 183 to chase a high Lankan total later in the year reiterated his value. By the end of 2005, Dhoni donned the all-whites to earn a maiden Test cap against Sri Lanka, holding both ODI and Test spots ever since. After India's failure in the 2007 World Cup, Rahul Dravid resigned as captain. In the inaugural World T20 that followed, Dhoni was chosen to lead a young Indian side. Under his guidance, the team quickly turned the disappointment to joy by lifting the World T20 trophy, to surprise both fans and foes. His ability to excel in leadership was quickly recognized and within a gap of a year, he was appointed Indian skipper in all forms of the game.


Under Dhoni's captaincy, India posted successful Test series victories home and away against England (2008), New Zealand (2009) and Sri Lanka (2009). Throughout his first 5 years as a Test player, India had lost only 2 away series, a record which helped them top the Test rankings. Under his leadership, a renewed spirit emerged among players, with youngsters Raina, Yuvraj, Sehwag and Gambhir showcasing fearless determination that had been missing since the 80s. It's already certain that 'Mahi', as he is fondly called, will be regarded among India's greatest, not just for his various batting exploits to bail his team out of trouble, but as an accomplished skipper who could challenge and lead the very best.