Ayaz Memon

Mumbai: By common consensus, ‘Field Marshall’ Mahendra Singh Dhoni has emerged as the most influential captain in the Twenty20 World Cup.

Interestingly, Team India’s rousing success in the tournament could provoke fresh debate within the BCCI on whether he should not lead the Test side too.

For instance, former captain Sunil Gavaskar has written in his fortnightly column which was published on Sunday in various papers that “a split captaincy has its own problems and so it might be a better idea to have one person captaining in both formats…’’.

Gavaskar is not a selector, but his views carry weight, and he has clearly been impressed with Dhoni’s, “… composure in tough situations and by not getting flustered at all.”

Test cricket, of course, is a different ball game, and the selectors don’t meet to choose the Test captain for more than a month. In the interim, there are the one-day series against Pakistan and Australia. Nothing is more fickle in Indian life than the fortunes of a cricketer, especially a captain, so what happens five-six weeks from now remains to be seen.

Meanwhile, there is Dhoni’s feat in the Twenty20 World Cup to savour. Frankly, not too many gave this team hope to reach even the semi-finals. Indeed, India were such reluctant participants that the preparation had been meagre. Remember also that four major players — Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Saurav Ganguly and Zaheer Khan — stayed at home.

If the nation is now engulfed in a euphoric wave by the fantastic achievements of the young, zealous players, a fair share of the credit must accrue to the captain. What marks Dhoni out as different? Former captain Bishen Singh Bedi says, “He is sure about what he is doing and prepared to take bold decisions. He is not bothered about the result and is cool under pressure.’’

Chandu Borde, manager on the tour to England says, “Dhoni’s bindaas approach has helped him get the best out of himself and his team.”

There were many instances in the last couple of games itself which highlight this, the most striking according being:

a) Against South Africa, he switched from wicket-keeper to fielder when he bruised his back. He showed that he was quick-witted, and selfless.

b) Against Australia, he revealed superb attacking and defensive instinct. He held back RP Singh and Harbhajan Singh for the last three death overs, then chose RP Singh to bowl the second last over. The logic that a good over from R P would strangulate the Australians was well-founded.

c) His handling of experienced and young players has been exemplary. He has continually `talked' the volatile Harbhajan Singh through his overs. To Yuvraj he has turned frequently for advice, and the senior pro has paid back in spectacular fashion. He has nursed the luckless Joginder and even trusted him to bowl the last over against Australia.

d) Through tough situations he has never lost his cool. His handling of players, fans and media has been almost statesmanlike, something unexpected in a 26-year-old.

e) He has always had a smile on his face which shows a mature disposition. He believes the players should enjoy themselves to play well. They have.

How India fares in the final against Pakistan will be known in a few hours from now, but a lot has changed in the past fortnight under Dhoni and his young team.

After the World Cup debacle and the sudden resignation of skipper Rahul Dravid, Indian cricket appeared to be reeling. Now it seems to be rocking.