X-factor MS Dhoni guides India to yet another triumph in the Caribbean

X-factor MS Dhoni guides India to yet another triumph in the Caribbean

Friday, Jul 12, 2013, 18:10 IST | Agency: DNA Web Team

Maleeva Rebello





The Indian captain always has a way of influencing the game be it with the bat or with his field placement or his bowler choice and as a result India has collected numerous silverware since he became the team's leader.

MS Dhoni - AFP


When injury got the better of MS Dhoni during the West Indies tri-series that also featured India and Sri Lanka, the Indian team seemed at sixes and sevens losing two matches in a row.

Virat Kohli stood up well to the challenge of captaincy as he helped the Indian team make the final against Sri Lanka. When Dhoni returned on Thursday to play the final he exerted his influence on the game by restricting Sr Lanka to 201 by using his bowlers well in the match.

When India came out to bat there was a roller-coaster chase as the team found themselves needing 16 runs in the final over and 9 wickets down with MS Dhoni batting with No11. The captain played his trademark cool gameand helped India win the tri-series by 1 wicket.

Not just this match but even in the Champions Trophy final against England, Dhoni managed to exert the pressure on England that stopped them from chasing the total with ease denying the home team there a chance to win a maiden ODI title.

Dhoni's ability to rotate the bowlers and manage to get the best out of them when India has to defend a score is since the time he lead India to the T20 World Cup win been renowned. But Dhoni showed last night that he also has the ability to be a match winner achieving what was difficult in a calm and cool manner.

The Indian captain has received a lot of flak post-IPL 6 but Dhoni has hardly put a foot wrong in the ODIs that he has played and lead India in and deserves due for his ability to handle pressure with ease.

The 32-year-old basks under the pressure of captaincy and has over the past 6 years proved that he is one of the best captains the Indian team has had. Who the best Indian captain is, is still a question on which the jury is out on.