'Captain Cool' certainly fits Dhoni

At the start of the new millennium Sourav Ganguly was the monarch of Indian cricket. At the end of the first decade of the new millennium it is Mahendra Singh Dhoni's turn to enjoy that exalted status. As swashbuckling batsman, brilliant wicket keeper and dynamic captain, in all three formats of the captain, he is at the peak of his powers and popularity going by the number of ads he appears in and public appearances that he makes.

Dhoni's role as captain has attracted particular attention and I venture to predict that future chroniclers will concentrate more on this aspect than on his batting or keeping. At the moment he is a leader who can do no wrong. Indeed he can probably walk on water. The cynics might call it luck. Well, no captain can manage without the luck factor and perhaps there are a few things that have worked in his favour.

But luck alone cannot bring you victories in the first four Tests as captain – something unique for an Indian captain. Good fortune alone cannot bring you three major limited overs triumphs in under a year – the Twenty20 World Cup victory in South Africa, the CB Series victory 'Down Under' and a maiden series victory in Sri Lanka. And it is not that Dhoni has not experienced setbacks.

The loss in the Kitply Cup final to Pakistan and the defeat at the hands of Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup final have been disappointments that the phlegmatic Dhoni has taken in his stride. This phlegmatic attitude is the one aspect that has attracted most attention about Dhoni's demeanor. At a time when players display their emotions openly – too openly in some cases so as to make it unacceptable – Dhoni keeping his feelings controlled is one of the joys of the modern game.

Nothing seems to excite him and even though he happily shares the jubilant moments with his teammates he is not given to unrestrained scenes. The sobriquet Captain Cool may be a cliche but it certainly fits Dhoni. The uplifting, invigorating effect of just one player in the side! He does not even have to be of outstanding ability or personality. He simply needs to be a little different from the others, to possess an aura about him and he can work wonders. On the face of it Dhoni does not conform to the traditions associated with leadership. To be a captain one has to have a studious, even serious image.

He must be strong on matters of strategy and tactics and must have a good knowledge of the cerebral aspects of the game. Somehow such an image does not go with swashbuckling or buccaneering players. Their business is to entertain and provide the razzle-dazzle leaving the thinking caps to the other more sober members of the team. That is why it would appear that Dhoni should be the last to captain the national team.

But here he is at the helm and making a major success of it on the field. And off the field he is the country's latest pin up boy even surpassing Sachin Tendulkar when it comes to endorsements. Talk about being on a roll. The success of Dhoni has proved that there can be no pre-conceived notions about what a captain should be, of what qualities he should or should not possess.

In a changing game, perceptions and ideas need to undergo a sort of metamorphosis. Adam Gilchrist swashbuckling batsman supreme was a successful captain. Dhoni and Virender Sehwag – entertainers both - have led India to victory the latter in the only Test he has captained. Before them Kris Srikkanth that pioneer among buccaneering batsmen proved to be a successful captain not losing even one of the four Tests he led on a tough tour of Pakistan.

Dhoni has debunked the age old cliché that a captain is only as good as his team. He obviously believes that a captain can transform a team and make things happen. He is verily of the view that good, successful captaincy is all about getting a cricketer to play above his level. After all, what is a captain if not a motivator? 

Dhoni's triumphs have been achieved with a largely young and inexperienced team. But he has instilled in the youthful brigade a sense of dynamism and self confidence something that he possesses in abundance. The ultimate measure is results and on that basis Dhoni is already a highly successful captain. Hopefully he has started the trend of flamboyant personalities being appointed captains on a more regular basis.