The rise of "Men in Blue"

              Match fixing controversies hit the cricketing world about a decade and a half ago. Stars turned villains. Names unheard of, came to the scene. Evolved a team, under the leadership of an instinctive and aggressive captain. Sourav Ganguly taught team India to win overseas, made youngsters believe in themselves and made them perform to make Indian team take a leap ahead. But like every other leader, Dada had to leave, passing on the mantle to Mahendra Singh Dhoni, currently the most valued brand in India. And since then, it has been a fairy tale for Indian cricket. 

Critics may crib about his technique which is not so sound. He has got no class of a Dravid or a Jayawardene nor the impact of a Sachin or a Ponting but still he is dominant in his own way with the bat. With his unorthodox hitting he can be a nightmare to bowlers around the world. Dhoni, the batsman always had ups and down but keeps coming up with awe inspiring when the odds are against him. Obviously for a goal-keeper turned wicket-keeper, his acrobatics are stunning on field. He has given captaincy and leadership a new meaning. Not being conventional is his strength. Though some of his decisions on field are hard to understand by cricketing logic, they do come off more often than not. It is this tenacity and gut feeling that has made MSD unique and successful. Promptly put forth by a brand he endorses - "To be successful, you need to be different". But for someone who has led Indian team to glory in all the formats, the recent allegations levelled at him could have probably hurt him, for he is a human too. But as always like a true leader, he marshalled his boys and gave them his trust and support and eventually won. The manner in which Dhoni pumped his fist after CT win showed what the triumph meant to the otherwise composed skipper. 

The extent of Dhoni's achievements has now gone beyond even the best of best could possibly aspire for. It makes him, in terms of success, modern-day cricket's greatest captain. In the last 5 years or so, he has led the Indian team to more highs than lows marked by significant winnings. T20 WC in 2007, ODI WC in 2011 -  a second one for India, Champions Trophy in 2013.  Add to this, topping the charts in Tests and ODIs on the way. He has left no stone unturned. The only trophy that he doesn't have under his belt - Ranji. No better way to stamp one's authority and dominance. This can be termed as conquering at it's best. Then there is always a debate on whether the team or the captain should be accountable for wins and losses. "Good teams make good captains" say some, while a few others differ saying, "Good captains make good teams". Either way, Team India and MSD have become synonymous in reaching the pinnacle. The Men in Blue are on the rise and for years to come, we may hope that this purple patch continues. Rest assured, Team India is well on course to lift  the WC in 2015 with a young and enthusiastic bunch.

-DC

The curious case of Rohit Sharma

Five seasons of IPL had gone by and the "under achievers" tag had been stuck to a team with a collection of superstars that would often fail on big nights. But came the sixth season, and the team saw itself change to a champion side that absorbed pressure and overcame it. Mumbai Indians has finally won an IPL title and are no longer under achievers. Everyone knows how events would normally turn up in an IPL final. An opposition such as CSK would apply pressure, and invariably the oponents would cave in. Not the case this year. (Neither was it last year.) For the second time in two years, CSK failed to clear the final hurdle. For MI, credit largely needs to be given to their new found leader, Rohit Sharma.

This leaves an interesting case on hand. When Gautam Gambhir captained KKR to their first IPL trophy in 2012, there were suggestions he was a possible replacement for MSD. Sehwag was in the race too, being the then deputy. But their recent woes in form have possibly left them both out of contention. It seems so unlikely that they would even be seen in Indian colours again. Raina has done well as a stand-in, in whatever opportunities he has got.  Kohli with all his aggression and intensity has shown that he is ready to take things over from MSD. Yet, temperament (or the lack of ) has left him in dire straits off late. For a time unheard, there was a steady rise of Rohit Sharma, deputy to captain for the MI in IPL for last 2 years. Failure of Ponting led to Rohit taking over and it has been a fairly tale since then. 

It is hard to believe that Rohit Sharma made his international debut as many as six years ago. Still not a regular in the Indian XI. But we may assume that some realisation has dawned on him. Perhaps missing out on the 2011 World Cup squad had stirred him into a better fitness regime. What followed was match winning performances against Westindies. But again as you would always expect from Rohit Sharma, a period of rut followed in Australia and Srilanka. Every failure weighed him down further and further. For all the elegance, he may bat like a dream, but a few failures and the shoulders will drop even more, and the give away expression will reappear. 

This IPL, he was in charge of a side comprising some of the best men to ever play international cricket and has succeeded as leader. He showed glimpses of MSD with his changes on field. Admittedly, he had an army of legends for a think-tank. While that means he would have never been short of ideas and suggestions, it could also have been detrimental, if he were hesitant to take his own decisions. Rohit is understood to have listened to everyone, and then gone by his gut feeling. And while doing all that, he also had his best IPL season with the bat.

As special as a player might be, he can only excel when he accepts and starts believing how good he actually is. And so he did. "I like to keep things simple and trust my instinct," he has said. "We have so many guys who have led their teams in international cricket and they're always there for me with advice and support. I get inputs from all of them but the final decisions are left to me." He definitely took vital calls on the field. No matter what you discuss in meetings it is up to the captain to come up with substantial moves on field and he did that to good effect. Holding your own among such institutions, and having a trophy to show for it, has to be a significant confidence booster for a young man. But can he translate that confidence into success as a batsman in the international stage is there to be seen. For now, (even if it is early) we may still believe that we have an able successor for MSD.

- DC

Courtesy: ESPN Cricinfo

MSD, the magicain at work!!!

Here's the one who negotiates the 22 yards like 64 squares. 

Cricket means a lot to Indian fans. While we normally go berserk in celebrating hard earned victories, the celebrations turn manifold when it comes against an Aussie side or Pakistan for whatever reason it may be. Yet it is, but a wonder when we get to see MS Dhoni react to wins, be it in an international game or an IPL game. A subtle smile and a mild sense of relief is all what we get to witness from our captain cool. 

But I'm sure none of us would have missed on noticing that extra enthusiasm in his celebration after India wrapped up the second test against the Aussies a couple of months back at Hyderabad (of course we had once witnessed an outburst from the captain when he led CSK to an improbable win against Kings XI in IPL 2010 which was an exception). What normally would be a smile followed by the uprooting of a stump for his souvenir collection turned out to be quite fan like. The reason - it was extra special. He pumped his fist in celebration and exchanged hi-fives, he showed it meant a lot to him too and it certainly did. With that victory, he became the most successful India Test captain. Some may have found it hard to believe (as a hardcore fan of Dada, I did), but he surpassed Sourav Ganguly's record of 21 test wins. 

Over the course of his career, "the Captain Cool" image seems to have run out. Not that he has lost his cool now but then a transformation to being a committed leader has taken fore. A visibly pro-active, attacking and more involved leader who seems to be reinventing himself at every turn with both captaincy and the bat. The circumstances off late have forced Dhoni to discover a more urgent, inspiring manner in which to lead this young Indian cricket team. Under any situation, he doesn't disclose too much which would let opposition know about what's going on in his mind. I just doubt if his own teammates have any idea of what he's thinking. He has probably got the best cricketing brains around which we so often hear from most cricket experts. Captaining, batting at death, standing up to pace bowlers; he does it all and yet excels in his own way and lets all his critics in awe. 

Over the last couple of years or so, Dhoni has wielded his willow tremendously under pressure to win matches for not just India but also for his side in the Indian Premier League. It is so astonishing to witness his ability to score winning runs in dying moments of the matches, when all chips are down. As a one off it is remarkable enough, but the fact is that Dhoni keeps doing this time and again - in ODIs, in IPL matches, even in world cup finals, and the stage doesn't get any bigger than that. You watch him and marvel at his skill and bravado and unrelenting consistency. There is this total certainty in his body language, which is intensely reassuring to his team-mates and utterly demoralizing to his opponents.

While chasing down big totals, he often chooses to leave it a little late (getting things too close for comfort) or we may think so but the fact remains that he makes his final assault then and leads his side to victory with his typical calmness. (Giving a glimpse of hope of a win for the opponents and then snatching it right away seems a bit cruel though). Many critics have stressed on finishing things off early but that doesn't deter MSD from what he does best. Wait and strike a late assault. And if you think he does it to only bowlers of little reputation; you are mistaken. He has done it to the best in business. The Malingas, Steyns, Andersons, Ajmals... have all got their share from him.

There is an inevitability in what he is going to do. All his opponents exactly know what his intentions are. And yet they seem inert, and he is unstoppable, almost invincible, fueled as he is by the power of positive thought and calmness which is bound to cast the opposition in utter stress. He is a magician wagging his wand not only on his fielders but also on the minds of his haters. He turns them all into liking him over the course and he does it with a touch of elegance which is not a feature of his batting. You can but admire him for what he is and what he does in the cricketing field. 

For time to come, lets hope his magic continues to take Indian cricket to great heights.

- DC