Leadership qualities of Dhoni

Dhoni has been at the receiving end due to India's recent loss against Bangadesh. My take on this, media and a section of public are making so much ado about nothing. At one stroke, they erase the credit to Dhoni due to the prior wins under his leadership and give undue focus on off season blues. A la any any human being and celebrity, he has his share of positives and negatives. Being the captain of cricket in India, where the game is religion, is a position of Damocles's sword perpetually hanging on top of the head. Let me focus on the positives about Dhoni.

It was early 2006. India was chasing a sizable Pakistani total in front of a hostile home crowd in Lahore. At a crucial moment India loses its star batsman Sachin Tendulkar, still requiring loads of run. Those days the end of Tendulkar was usually considered as beginning of India's impending end. Nonchalantly walks in this man with long hair, a tyro following a connoisseur. Nobody expected much from this young man from the nondescript, impoverished state of Jharkhand, M S DHONI. In middle of a hostile India baiting (rather hating) crowd, he led a successful India chase staying as cool as iceberg. It's not very common to be newcomer to crash into limelight in a nail biting, pressure cooker rivalry between the arch rivals. Dhoni's performance in Pakistan's own backyard earned praise from no other than then President General Musharaf, not a huge fan of India or Indians by any standard. (Musharaf incidentally told Dhoni not to cut his trademark long hair). Arguably Dhoni was the harbinger of a new era when Indians finally got out the cycles of defeats against Pakistan, not any more the nerve and guts to fight under adverse circumstances.  

I have seen Captains Srikkanth, Ganguly, Kapil Dev sweating and/or chewing nails (which is a sign of momentary tension). In contrast, Dhoni was cool as cucumber, leading from the front. That's awesome leadership quality. A team at the time of crisis looks at its leader. A cool and poised skipper keeps things calm, inspires and enthuses confidence. Dhoni has done it all. He has changed the image of Indian cricketers as a bunch of softies who capitulate under pressure. That's quite an achievement. So give him a break and move on.