Indian cricket went through the toughest phase in the year 2007 when the men in blue were knocked out of the ODI World Cup from the first round in the Caribbean after losing to Bangladesh. There was an outrage in the country post that but a revolutionary change happened in the same year when MS Dhoni became the captain of the side. MS Dhoni revealed why he was picked as the captain in 2007.
A young side led by the Ranchi-lad went on to win the inaugural ICC World T20 in 2007 and the team never looked back. There were several big victories that followed which included the Commonwealth Bank tri-series in Australia, the ODI World Cup in 2011 and the ICC Champions Trophy in 2013.
From a dasher, the young man from a very small city went on to become the most successful captain ever for the country. Even though he has handed over the reigns to Virat Kohli yet he is still the leader of the side operating from the background.
Reading the game is important
It’s been more than 10 years since he became the captain and now he has revealed how he reached the helm of the affairs. MS Dhoni believes it was his ability to read the game even at a young age and the confidence to share his views instilled the confidence in the seniors and the selectors to opt for him as the leader.
“I was not part of the conversation when I was made captain of the team. I feel that looking at everything, maybe it was the honesty that I had, and my ability to read the game. Reading the game is very important, and even though I was one of the youngest in the team at that point of time, when asked about my views by a senior player, I was not afraid or hesitant to share my feelings about the game. It probably also had to do with the fact that I was quite good with the other team members in the squad at that point of time,” MS Dhoni was quoted as saying by The Print.
