Dhoni- The Greatest Captain

I always thought MS Dhoni was a good captain. He is ice cool, leads from the front by being pretty consistent with the bat, inspires his younger players, can be a risk taker and takes every win or loss within his stride. But after what he did in the press conference in England to display team unity, I think he might be the greatest captain India has ever had. 

For those of you who have been unaware, there have been articles and rumors that there is a rift between Dhoni and Sehwag. To have a cold war between the captain and vice captain of a team right before the start of a major tournament is never good news. The press of course lapped this story up with joy. In fact the day the story was published I had 6 different conversations with cricket fans about the rift. The alleged cold war was slowly growing in to a full blown battle. That was before Dhoni stepped in.

The press conference on Friday can only be described as a stroke of guts, grit and genius. Instead of having the usual pre match chatter Dhoni walked out with the entire team and team management and showed a unified group with his statement. Before a major tournament you need team unity. Dhoni made it clear, the Indian team is together. 

And here is the best part. After his statement, rather than sit down and discuss the match against Bangladesh, he walked out with his team and let Coach Kirsten do the talking. No one has had the guts to handle the press this way. This is what leadership is about. It is an attitude of 'you try and mess with my team, and I have no time for you.' Inspirational stuff. 

The impact of this press conference cannot be ignored. Firstly, it puts the press off the team's back. We know that the Indian press can be brutal in times like these. They love a good 'ol controversy. We have seen what they have done with Ganguly-Buchanan, Chappell-Ganguly, Gavaskar-Kapil (in the old days), Leander-Mahesh, and god knows how many more. Lets not even get started on how many Bollywood rumors they jump on like vultures. Dhoni put a stop to that. 

Secondly, this will also not allow opposing teams to pass comments in pre match press conferences Aussie style. I can see Ricky Ponting commenting on how Sehwag should be on the team, or how Sehwag should open and not Rohit Sharma etc etc. I mean India's opponents might still say things like that but I think the impact will be minimal.

Thirdly, and most importantly it keeps the team as one. And while in T20 games one innings can change a match, (Gilchrist in the IPL semis) it still remains a team game. A diving stop at the boundry, a brilliant run out, a superb catch can change the fate of a team. Keeping moral high and a maintaining a motivated bunch is critical. 

On a side note, if it is true that Sehwag has to fight for his place in the team then there is nothing greater than that for Indian cricket. We need a system where no one's place is secure in the side, everyone is forced to perform and if they don't then there is someone waiting in the wings to take over the reins. 

Few other points

England's loss to the Netherlands in the opening match. I kind of hope England make it to the next stage. For two reasons- 1) They are the local team and so if they are out early it might impact the attendance and 2) I always enjoy it when there is a team I hate, playing in the latter stages of the tournament. The other thing this loss shows us is that in T20 anyone can win on any day. So I hope India don't take their group of Bangladesh and Ireland too lightly.

It is a pity about Symonds. I am a fan. What a waste of such an immense talent, makes one think of Vinod Kambli.

It has been a pretty much cricket focused post but here is a quick shout out. LETS GO ROGER!!! Could be historical.

Photo Credit http://img.thesun.co.uk