Dhoni Beat Australia by 320 Runs
A opportunity came his way in Mohali and he has ensured himself a 320-run thrashing of Australia [Images]. And here we won't even mention his ODIs or T20 exploits. Don't agree with us. Here's a second point of view then.
He has given the term "leading from the front" a whole new meaning.
Captaincy at a young age can be a burden and can affect your performance as a player. Not in Dhoni's case though. He celebrated wearing the captain's armband for a second time by contributing 92 and 68 not out with the bat-- a performance that won him the man-of-the-match award.
Don't agree with us? Here's the third and final point of view.
The 27-year-old has his head firmly on his shoulder and has not let success distract him as is usually the case with the young Indian cricketers. Dhoni is aware of the fact that both "performance" and "luck" are variable factors and would pose a problem for him at some stage. And that is precisely what keeps him rooted.
Still, don't agree with us? Then just hear from the horse's mouth.
"When you play one or two matches, records do happen," said Dhoni, when queried about his second successive triumph as Test captain. "But it is about doing it over a longer period of time." The captain was in fact surprised that the Aussies succumbed so meekly.
"Honestly speaking, we have not seen this before," he admitted. "I mean in their first innings, they were 22 for two wickets after 13 overs and I was so surprised that I told Rahul (Dravid) that you don't see things like that very often
"And maybe you won't see that again for a long time." Dhoni did admit, however, that India was the better side.
"I don't believe in comparisons but we did most things right," he explained. "We had only four bowlers and to their credit, they shared the responsibility well." But doesn't his captaincy deserved some credit as well?
"There's not too much pressure of being a captain," admitted Dhoni. "We have to take care of certain things on the ground and channel our efforts in the right direction." And what about his own batting?
"It was a perfect scenario for me to just go out and play my natural game," reasoned Dhoni. "We got a good start, the track was placid and the ball old. It was just the perfect occasion for my sort of batting.
"I have realized that I should play my natural game, play to my strengths. In between, I was not playing my game but thinking of the scenario." Another thing he has realised happens to be the fact that the hallmark of a good captain is to have faith in his players.
"I believe in every guy who is part of the side," he asserted. "Every player comes to this level after putting in a lot of effort."
The Mohali Test was memorable on many grounds-- Sachin's record, Amit Mishra's performance on debut and his own batting. But what was it that Dhoni himself like the most?
"Sourav getting 102 was special," blurted Dhoni, without thinking even for a moment. "Since it is his last series, he was playing without any pressure. And that is how one wants to see him play."
With almost everything going to perfection he definitely has reasons to expect more. But Dhoni believes caution is the best way to propagate aggression.
"They are a strong side," he warned. "It is just that we are doing our job well now. So we don't have to worry about the opposition as much. But they will come back strong for sure."
Successful, and still not complacent, that's Mahendra Singh Dhoni for you. And now you better believe us
