And also fully deserves the millions of dollars he makes (apparently he just surpassed Tendulkar in earnings).
When Dhoni first arrived on the scene, I was skeptical about the hype around him. One look at his batting technique and one could be sure that sooner or later his bluff would be called.
But he has carried himself exceedingly well and deserves all the applause for the following :
(1) A phenomenal batting average of over 47 in ODIs
(2) Is not hesitant to bat at any position for his team
(3) Can bat as per situation and is a consistent performer
(4) Super wicket-keeping — hardly lets any chance go down
(5) Most importantly – he performs 3 roles - batsman, wicketkeeper & not to mention “Indian Captain” - which means the work stress is not over when the match ends – what with the press conferences, interviews etc…and yet he delivers day in and day out. Even Sangakarra (who is not even a Captain) had to hand over the gloves to Dilshan after scoring a hundred in scorching heat against BD. But Dhoni goes on.(As Arun Lal put it — he is built like an Ox)
(6) As a Captain - just from his comments over the stump mike - one can sense the comraderie he enjoys with his teams mates. Dhoni also handles pressure with a calm demeanor which I feel rubs off on the team.
Some1 Bhai, I remember your thoughts on Dhoni well, when he first started playing in Dravid's team. You were pushing for Parthiv Patel and felt that Dhoni's added weight will cause him to face some concerns in keeping. Some of his unorthodoxy was related to Afridi in some ways that he plays his shots. But he has come a long way from being under a great captain to creating a league of his own. Dhoni has been a great team player for India and furthermore, he has a well command in English, in his pre-match conferences and post-match interviews, he has given interviews on behalf of other teammates when they were unable to speak properly. A team nourishes well under the captain who is charismatic and knows how to gel together without creating the senior/junior gap in the team. Looking at Indian team from outside, I don't see any bridge that needs to be filled. All are considered as much as a part of the team as the team's success. India has given chances to new blood and they have come well, making it's bench strength quite strong. The partnership of BCCI and IPL have performed above expectations in creating new stars and keeping the scene of the cricket fresh with young players.
I remember feeling despondent about how dependent Indian team was on Tendulkar, Ganguly and Dravid plus Kumble. Laxman never lived up to his full promise.
Never thought a strong next generation line up will form - I still don't think it has, but at least there are signs. Bowling quality seems to have improved a bit too
Dhoni has a fantastic attitude as captain, and he is a naturally talented leader. I think the Indian ODI team will go a long way under him. Tests are yet to be seen, but I'm sure even in this format, Dhoni will be far better than the likes of Mr. chooza Malik.
Some1 Bhai, I remember your thoughts on Dhoni well, when he first started playing in Dravid's team. You were pushing for Parthiv Patel and felt that Dhoni's added weight will cause him to face some concerns in keeping.
My main concern was about Dhoni's dhobi-style batting (no offense meant to you). I thought Dinesh Karthik could bat better than him in Test Matches.....but I am no longer so sure about it.
About Parthiv Patel....I think he is too good a batsman to be left out in favor of phonies like Uthappa & Yousuf "Twenty20" Pathan. Parthiv, in the past, has batted against the likes of Shoaib Akhtar, McGrath etc with aplomb. Since he is more like Kamran Akmal with the gloves, I advocate Parthiv's inclusion only as a pure batsman.
I agree with you some1 - he has impressed a lot since being handed the reigns of the Indian team... he seems to have a good head on his shoulders... learns from his mistakes... balances aggression with stability depending on what his team needs and has a lot of resilience on the field.
The only thing which I see lacking somewhat is his decision making in introducing/rotating his bowlers based on the situation. He seems to be a little haphazard in that area and trying all options at his disposal sometimes gives the feeling of despondency.
That being said, he surely will learn over time and has a long way to go with the Indian team... in the big picture, I can't even imagine an Indian team without Dhoni anymore.
Dhoni has a fantastic attitude as captain, and he is a naturally talented leader. I think the Indian ODI team will go a long way under him. Tests are yet to be seen, but I'm sure even in this format, Dhoni will be far better than the likes of **Mr. chooza Malik.
I agree with all the praise, but I have to add that he has also been extremely lucky on many occasions with how things turn out. Things just go his way, some of his changes have raised eyebrows but they always turn out to give a positive result. The commentators say "Luck favors the brave" and I believe that is true. There is no doubt tho that he has many talents and more importantly he is a leader, and thats what you need at the top.
I agree with all the praise, but I have to add that he has also been extremely lucky on many occasions with how things turn out. Things just go his way, some of his changes have raised eyebrows but they always turn out to give a positive result. The commentators say "Luck favors the brave" and I believe that is true. There is no doubt tho that he has many talents and more importantly he is a leader, and thats what you need at the top.
Luck definitely favors the brave. When you have the guts to drop big names in order for the youngsters to get an opportunity, luck will always favor you. Sadly, that tradition has crossed borders from Pakistan to India now, and that's why Dhoni is so successful so far.
Some1 I don’t believe that Dhoni has amassed more cricket wealth in the last 4 years than Tendulkar (since 1989) unless by earnings you mean current annual earnings..
Now coming to Dhoni](http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/india/content/player/28081.html) I have been greatly impressed by his recent consistency. His ungainly lakkarhara style is mighty effective for sure. Although Dhoni has shown that he can bat at any position, he owes his high batting average (48) largely to his batting position usu. coming in lower down the order and the no. of times he has been not-out (27). Besides he needs to keep doing that in different conditions for another 4 or 5 years before he can be ranked alongside other Indian one-day greats like Tendulkar](http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/ci/content/player/35320.html), Ganguly and even Dravid****.
Jayasuriya by comparison has been not out only 18 times in a mammoth 416 ODIs (404 innings) mainly because he comes in as an opener. His batting average (32.87) may not be high but he more than makes up for it with a very high SR (91.16). Noone who has any knowledge of cricket would dare suggest that Jayasuriya is not a great one-day player.