There’s no doubt that the former Indian skipper MS Dhoni has left an everlasting impact on Indian cricket ever since he has been named as the captain of the Indian team. Apart from the many trophies he has won for the country, the former India captain’s contribution to Team India can be defined neither through stats nor through words. While his predecessor Sourav Ganguly taught his boys how to never back down, MSD taught the winning habit.
However, it’ll be simple to believe that Dhoni wasn’t as aggressive a captain as Ganguly, but Dhoni had his way of attacking too. In a book written by The Indian Express writer Bharat Sundaresan titled The Dhoni Touch, one gets to know about an interesting instance from early on in the legend’s career.
In 2008, India was locking horns with Australia in the Commonwealth Bank Series at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). With just ten runs to win, Dhoni, at the crease with a young Rohit Sharma, called for a fresh pair of gloves. Moreover, players do such things to communicate or receive vital information from the dressing room. On this occasion, though, Mahi’s motive for drawing out a substitute was beyond people’s imaginations.
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At that time, the Australian team was winning every time they stepped on the field. Dhoni knew that beating the Aussies at the sacred MCG will be a huge deal for his players in the dressing room. They would jump in celebration once India crossed the line and that is exactly what MSD didn’t want.
In just his fifteenth ODI as captain, Dhoni showed his deep understanding of warfare. He told the substitute to tell his players not to celebrate in the balcony. He even asked Rohit to remain calm and shake the opponents’ hands with a blank expression. Such was the genius of Dhoni. He wanted to show the Australians that India’s victory was not a big deal for the Indians and that the visitors would go on to taste more success on the tour. As history would remember, Dhoni went on to win the tri-series involving Sri Lanka, with the hosts being defeated by nine runs in the final.
Dhoni might never have had an in-your-face attitude, but his aggression as a player and captain was second to none. The Indian cricket team may go on to attain imaginable heights in the upcoming future, but Dhoni’s contribution in enriching the team’s culture, along with his many on-field plans, will always be at the top of fans’ memory.
