Being a cricket maniac myself, of late it is heartening to see an Indian team with a plethora of talents and a team, which has already forgotten how to lose matches. It is not very often do you see an Indian cricket team thrash an opposition and win matches so convincingly. This team, with a blend of youth and experience, has already started to make history of their own. The overseas victories, which eluded the Indian team of yesteryears, have been won so convincingly by this team. The VB series win at Australia in ’08, the twin wins in Sri Lanka, the thrashing of New Zealand speaks volumes about this Indian unit, which has come off ages!

So, who is responsible for this transformation of an circumspect Indian team into an aggressive, all-conquering Team India? Some may say it is the presence of a genius, the master-Sachin Tendulkar in the team. He brings wealth of experience into the batting lineup. I m sure, he is a vital member in the team, but of late, we can see Indian team winning without him in the lineup! So who else?? Sehwag? Yuvraj? Hmm…Quite a bit! Yeah, everyone has played a part in the making of a new -Invincible Team India. But the man, who I think has brought this metamorphosis is the guy from Ranchi, our captain cool-Mahendra Singh Dhoni! Initially having hogged the limelight for his long hairdo, which even the Ex-President of Pakistan, Gen.Pervez Musharraf praised, he has gone a long way in making a mark for himself in cricketing history! His story is a fairy tale of fame, glamour and money.

The most striking quality of Dhoni has been his simplicity. No wonder that Dhoni has ascended to the status of being a deity, but the wonder is that he’s a God with his feet firmly planted on the ground. He walks with ease through his new glamoured world because he seems to know who he is. Slowly it is becoming evident that the virtues of a grounded, simple upbringing — humility, pragmatism, self-reliance, philosophic calm, a workman’s ethic, a clear sense of responsibility, and the ability to grab the slimmest opportunity — may actually be the key factors in his spectacular success.

A man who’s risen to the top on the strength of sheer, raw talent. No special background, no fabulous training, no godfather. He was risen to the post of captaincy when Dravid’s men were thrashed out of the ’07 world cup. Not the best of times, to be given that post, but the administrators found Dhoni as the good boy to be send to the guillotine! A poor sacrificial lamb! But Dhoni brought the much needed fresh air of optimism in the Indian team with his cool headed approach coupled with pragmatism and maturity. I doubt if any other captain has tasted success so early in his career than Dhoni has? May be it is because of the core value he brings to the job by his level-headedness — the clear sense of reality that helps a small town boy prioritize life. This means he has the ability to treat cricket as a game, not as religion. He is unafraid to take his chances, to run the impossible risk and win the unthinkable. Whoever thought Dhoni would throw the ball to Jogindher Sharma, when Harbhajan Singh had an over in his kitty to bowl the last over of a world cup. His risk paid off and you know what happened!

I remember an ex-Indian captain who celebrated a win by taking off his T-shirt and waving it like a victory banner; Dhoni celebrated his world cup win by giving his T-shirt away to a child. In that moment of immaculate gesture resides Dhoni’s trump card, his belief in himself. Having followed this million dollar baby throughout the IPL,I got the feeling he was worth that 6 crore! Not just because of his audacious batting display, but the way he carried his team.. leading them into the finals of the inaugural IPL! The final huddle of the Chennai Super kings, even after they lost the last ball thriller, speaks about the team spirit Dhoni infused into the team! He’s a youth icon, an aggressive captain, a perfect team man and a triumph of simplicity!

India is in a pair of safe hands! Keep rocking Dhoni!