Blogs MS Dhoni: A Changed Man??
May 5th, 2008 by prashantYou can say that Dhoni is arguably the biggest “thing” happened to Indian Cricket after Sachin Tendulkar. Though they represent totally different styles (including hair) of personalities, they both have moved the Indian fans big time…
Dhoni came with a bang with his skyrocketing shots and huge sixes, and over the past year+ has established himself as a successful captain for India in all forms of Cricket (including T20, ODIs and a Test win against SA). He also got a million dollar contract for himself while leading the Chennai Super Kings in IPL.
Now during his journey has he changed as a player/person? He is still as confident as he used to, still enjoys while playing the game, still shows ability to take decisions and seem to handle to stress pretty well.
What has changed then? One thing that I noticed while watching his interview after India’s Test win against SA in Kanpur was the fact that he took credit for all the changes he made and went on to say that his “eight changes provided eight wickets”. So what is the big deal about this comment you will say. Well in previous similar situations (in CB series in Australia e.g.) he would answer this type of question by saying that it is the players who perform when put in a situation by a captain. So the credit goes to the players. Small change this might be, but many a times it is this type of small change in attitude that can bring on BIG changes in the future. Interesting to see how the Dhoni era progresses…..
May 6th, 2008 at 4:46 am
That’s one heck of an astute observation. The greatest asset of any leader is the ability to give credit where it is due. This may seem trivial now, especially during these heady Dhoni-days. But I hope that this was just a slip on his part and sanity prevails. “Eight changes…” can look like brilliant captaincy when it works. But if it fails, it may end up looking like you are unsure or inconsistent or worse.
I am reminded of a famous Dr. Abdul Kalam anecdote that he has repeated more than once at various conferences. In 1979, when Dr. Kalam was the Mission Director for the first SLV program, he reported to Prof. Satish Dhavan, the Chairman of the Atomic Energy and Space Commission. When the first SLV launch failed landing the 4-stage rocket in the Bay of Bengal, Prof. Dhavan addressed the press conference and admitted failure. A year later when they had a successful launch, he asked Dr. Kalam to address the press. That is leadership!
I certainly would like to see Dhoni continue as a successful Captain of India for many more years.
May 7th, 2008 at 12:47 am
First of all, Dhoni, in my opinion, is a levelheaded man and he knows what he’s doing. So, we don’t have to worry about his attitude or the lack of it.
Second of all, even if his attitude has changed a little, you can’t really blame the man. When you get praised at the drop of the hat by both Indian and the international media, it can get into your head sometimes. He has achieved a demigod status in India in such a short period of time. Remember, even the great Tendulkar achieved this status only after years and years of hard work and perseverance. But Dhoni’s rise to superstardom has been nothing short of a fairy tale.
Agreed, the media and the marketing machine are very aggressive these days, but still Dhoni’s story is incredible.
However, the game, as they say, is a great leveler. A couple of failures here and there will serve as a reminder for Dhoni and his boys as to where they really stand and what they need to achieve, etc.
From what I’ve seen, Dhoni is a real man. He doesn’t suck up to anyone and does what he thinks is right. We haven’t had a cricketer like him in a long, long time. This is also the reason why even the international media heaps praises on Dhoni. We need real characters, not fakers who make faces and slap people.
May 10th, 2008 at 2:47 pm
I agree with Kris’s viewpoint ,Dhoni is a cut above the rest,and the feat that he has achieved at such a short span has to be appreciated.