You will be shocked to know why MS Dhoni was chosen as Indian skipper in 2007
One of the most successful captains of Indian cricket team Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who led India in 199 One Day International and 60 Test matches, has revealed why he was chosen as the skipper of the Indian team.
When the 'run machine' of India Virat Kohli became the captain of Indian team, after Dhoni gave up captaincy in the 50 over match, everyone was shocked. The reason why everyone was shocked was that Dhoni had given most successful tenure to the Indian team in cricket history.
The captain cool of India has led men-in-blue in 199 ODI match (at home ground he captained Indian team in 73 matches in which India had won 43) in which India had won 110 matches. The era of MS Dhoni's captaincy was golden for the Indian team. In his captaincy, India won top three ICC tournaments namely ICC World Cup (2011), ICC World T20 (2007) and ICC Champions Trophy (2013). And in 2013, Dhoni has also brought Indian team at number one spot in Test.
In the year 2007, when the selectors had asked MS Dhoni to lead Indian team he was just 26 years old and the former captain recently revealed why he was chosen as the captain. "I was not part of the conversation when I was made the 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," MS Dhoni said while talking to the Print.
"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," Dhoni further added.
While talking about India's win in 2011 World Cup the former skipper said it was amazing and he would like to witness that again.
"The 2011 World Cup, winning in India at the Wankhede Stadium, in front of the home crowd, was something that was really amazing and I think the whole process was good. But that exact point, you know, maybe four or five overs before we won the game when the whole stadium and the spectators knew that we were going to win the game… that was the time when they started chanting, ‘Vande Mataram’ and all the other songs, that was the moment. We knew from that point that we will win the game. That whole atmosphere has never been recreated, but hopefully someday, I will be able to witness it again," Dhoni said.
When it comes to the list of most successful captains in the history of cricket with the bat he comes second just after AB de Villiers. De Villiers who is also popularly known as Mr 360 has a better average and a strike rate than Dhoni.
