Here's a fascinating story of how a young Mahendra Singh Dhoni marshalled his troops to show the Aussies who's the boss.
There's no doubt that Mahendra Singh Dhoni will leave an everlasting impact on Indian cricket once he decides to call it a day. Apart from the many trophies he has won for the country, the former India captain's contribution to Team India has been much broader. While his predecessor Sourav Ganguly taught his boys how to never back down, MSD inculcated the winning habit.
However, it'll be naive to believe that Dhoni wasn't as aggressive a captain as Ganguly. Dada would be brazen - making Australian skipper Steve Waugh wait at the pitch for the toss - but Dhoni had his way of attacking too.
In a book written by The Indian Express writer Bharat Sundaresan titled The Dhoni Touch, one gets to know about an interesting instance from early on in the legend's career.
In 2008, India was facing Australia in the Commonwealth Bank Series at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). With just ten runs to win, Dhoni, at the crease with a young Rohit Sharma, called for a fresh pair of gloves. This is usually a practice followed by players to communicate or receive vital information with the dressing room. On this occasion, though, Mahi's motive for drawing out a substitute was entirely different.
The Australian team at that time was at the peak of its powers. They had won the ICC World Cup in the West Indies a year before that, and were expected to win every time they stepped on the field. Dhoni knew that beating the Aussies at the hallowed MCG would invoke a deep sense of excitement among his players in the dressing room. They would jump in celebration once India crossed the line and that is exactly what MSD didn't want.
In just his fifteenth ODI as captain, Dhoni had a deep understanding of warfare. He told the substitute to tell his players not to celebrate in the balcony. He even told Rohit at the crease that he should remain calm and shake the opponents' hands with a blank expression. Such was the genius of Dhoni. He wanted to show the Australians that India's victory was not an 'upset', and that the visitors would go on to taste more success on the tour. It wasn't a big deal. As history would remember, India went on to win that tri-series involving Sri Lanka, with the hosts being defeated by nine runs in the final.
Dhoni might never have had an in-your-face attitude, but his aggression as a player and captain was second to none. The book quotes a close friend of Dhoni, who reveals how 'Captain Cool' discouraged his players from using maa-behen ki gaali (cuss words involving someone's mother or sister). Dhoni believed that swearing in such a way would only harm his own players. He wanted them to hurt opponents in their own style, not by aping and swearing.
The Indian cricket team may go on to achieve great heights in the years to come, but Dhoni's contribution in enriching the team's culture, along with his many on-field accolades, will always be at the top of fans' memory.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "MS Dhoni during India's recently-concluded ODI and T20 tour of England")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}