The contribution of MS Dhoni to Indian cricket has been immense. He emerged as the leader during a time when Indian cricket was going through a tough phase.
The Men in Blue had suffered a numbing loss in the ICC World Cup 2007 and the future looked a bit bleak, with no proper direction as to who would take on the mantle of leading a cricket frenzy nation.
Dhoni came to the forefront in 2007, leading a young Indian side to glory in the inaugural T20 World Cup, but then not many would have bet on him being India’s most successful captain.
His decision to promote himself at number 4 in the 2011 World Cup final is considered as one of the boldest decisions of all time. Dhoni just seemed to have a way of calling the right shots, but his powers were somehow limited to ODIs, as the Indian team did not enjoy as much success in the Test matches during overseas tours.
Well, the lowest point of Dhoni’s captaincy was in 2012 when India suffered back to back whitewashes in England and Australia, putting his position as captain under serious threat, and he was apparently set to be sacked by the Indian selection committee.
N Srinivasan intervened and Dhoni continued as captain
In Rajdeep Sardesai’s book, N Srinivasan has revealed that the selectors wanted Dhoni out but it was he who vetoed that selectors’ call. Srinivasan was the President of BCCI back then and therefore his decision was taken into consideration.
However, Dhoni went on to have a very successful home season after that, thanks to a good judgement call from Srinivasan. Also, Dhoni kept on as captain till 2014, giving Virat Kohli the time to settle into the Test format.
