Mahendra Singh Dhoni has always had a unique fancy - he likes to develop individuals and careers. For the most part of his career as captain of the Indian cricket team, Dhoni spent time in 'throwing the long rope', hoping the man at the other end of it would grab on and climb up. It was only fitting then that the skipper stepped down as captain at a time when he felt his ward had grown confident enough to take on the mantle.
Criticize his captaincy all you like; you still can't overlook the fact that he's among India's most successful. There was a time when MS Dhoni was the world's best batsman, keeper and captain - separately and together. Not to mention, he is, today, and has been for most part of his career, arguably the most stressed out sportsman in the world. Roger Federer feels the pinch of expectations, but that's an individual sport; you can always turn a deaf ear to the critics. Perhaps Lionel Messi, who always seems a different player when he's in Argentina's blue and white? No, Messi rarely ever plays for Argentina, unlike Dhoni who plays all year round. As hard as one can think, it's near impossible to find an athlete even in today's mad world who needs to answer a billion people, lives in front of the cameras everyday and plays three roles in one, all year round. Yet, so does Dhoni.
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| The Sculptor: Dhoni is world cricket's greatest statesman |
But what's MS Dhoni's greatest legacy as a Test captain? Was it the day he defeated Sri Lanka at home to take India to the summit of Test cricket for the first time in history? Or is it his invincibility at home that has done enough to overshadow his overseas vulnerabilities and make him the most successful captain in Indian Test history? Neither, I say. It's his ability to sculpt careers and individuals. The best of leaders aren't those who pile up stats and factoids; they are those who build individuals, societies and nations. Think of Abraham Lincoln, the man who held America together even while its economy wasn't as large and dominant as it is today. Or think of Martin Luther King, the man whose immortal words continue to inspire, despite the difficulties that his community faced back in his day. Closer to the cricket field, think of Steve Waugh, the man who built, by the sweat of his brow, the most legendary playing squad cricket has ever seen.
It is therefore that I prefer to weigh the contributions of MS Dhoni, not by his win percentage, but by his handling of a team that was under transition. When India became the best Test team in the world, it had the services of legends like Dravid, Tendulkar and Laxman. Dhoni's true test began when the legends stepped down. In my view, he came up trumps. On innumerable occasions, critics (me included) questioned his unwavering faith in a handful of young men, even as they stumbled and failed. Rahane, Kohli and Rohit Sharma all had forgettable starts to their career. Yet, Dhoni threw them the 'long rope'. It took ages before the rope was finally accepted and his wards started finding their feet. While at one point in time India's young batsmen barely managed 200 in overseas Test innings, they now cross 400 far more consistently. That is a telling tale.
Unfortunately, while he was immersed in fixing the batting, Dhoni let the bowling slip. Ishant Sharma seems a fair exception - yet another example of a young man who held on to the 'long rope'. But by and large, India's bowling attack today is probably the worst in the world, outside of Bangladesh and Zimbabwe. That has hurt Dhoni's ability to win overseas Test matches. Batsmen can win you one-day games and T20s. The best they can do in a five-day game is secure a draw. No side wins, or deserves to win, unless it takes 20 wickets. Many would point out Dhoni's perceived lack of aggression in Test match cricket. But one can't have a heavy slip cordon or men in catching when the bowler lacks control over the ball.
But perhaps Dhoni's greatest quality of all is his statesmanship. In a country like India, diplomacy and statesmanship is a hard game. A billion people are watching you keenly all the time. But Dhoni, to his credit, hasn't been unduly noisy, keeping pesky journalists where they deserve to be and locking up dirty linen in the most obscure cupboard. We Indian citizens love noisy cricket captains, news anchors and Prime Ministers. But seldom do we remember that noise is not an integral part of game plans, television debates or government policies. Noise tends to fire people up, yes; but people who are fired up often set other things on fire. And as is often noticed these days, that is purely destructive.
India's Test team will remember MS Dhoni is a freak. Men like him aren't supposed to succeed at this game. Nor are they expected to be common. When you think of long-time captains, you think of them as folks who just don't look the part while playing under someone else. Just as well, when you think of great team players, you never imagine them as great captains. But Dhoni was a rare man who fit remarkably well both as captain and as player. If you ask the young minions he has groomed in this Indian side over the last few months, you'd find that they've just lost a father figure. When Dhoni finally retires from all international cricket, he'd go down in history is a freakish legend, if he hasn't already.
