IRON MAN OF INDIA

Mahendra Singh Dhoni is riding a crest of a wave. Within a year of taking over the reigns of Indian cricket in the shorter version of the game, this 27-year-old man from Jharkhand has piloted Team India to great heights marking himself out as a future Test captain as well.

For someone who expects nothing less than 100 % from his players, Dhoni shares a great chemistry with his colleagues and that bonding, that spirit is pretty evident in their body language on the field. His ability to stay cool under pressure and gambling instincts has drawn huge praise from his colleagues.

"Dhoni has done what no Indian captain has done before in winning the Twenty20 World Cup, winning a One-day series in Australia and beating Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka. And he is getting better and better,"says Virender Sehwagone of the senior pros in the side. "He's very cool, calm and composed. His handling of pressure is exceptional. He takes responsibility and leads from the front. He handles the senior players well and he's truly a great guy to have as captain," adds Sehwag.

Ice-cool captain
Echoing similar sentiments was pace bowler Zaheer Khan. "He's an ice-cool captain with great self-belief and confidence. He's a captain who gives complete freedom to his players to express themselves. When the players have the faith, and backing, of their captain, they perform to the best of their ability. As a bowler, if I want an unconventional field, he will readily do it instead of debating it.

"He is someone who leads by instinct. For example, in the last series in Sri Lanka, we lost six to seven wickets chasing a low total in Dambulla. With not much support to come from the tail, I asked him to promote me which he did and we went on to win that game."


Unconventional but effective
If the seniors are pretty comfortable with Dhoni's leadership, the younger brigade too adore their captain.

"He's a hands-on captain and a very shrewd gambler. If he takes ten decisions which can go either way, somehow, he gets it right eight or nine times. That's the courage of conviction he has. As a fielder, I've realised that whenever he has put me in an unconventional position, I get a catch. So I would say he's a very smart captain," says Suresh Raina, who has flowered under Dhoni's guidance.

"Mahi gives you that confidence and he backs you to the hilt. He is someone who takes the team along with him like the head of the family. Off the field, he's a very bindaas person. He is also very humble and kind," explains Raina.


Leads from front
On his part, Irfan Pathan is only too keen to take a leaf out of Dhoni's book.

"Mahi leads from the front and by example. Just look at the way he has changed his game and evolved as a cricketer. "He lays a lot of stress on fielding and that's something that I admire. Another good thing about Mahi is that he's so relaxed under pressure. His body language, his positive attitude rubs off on all of us.

Leggie Piyush Chawla says, "He dares to be different and inspires the team to great deeds."

"He's a keen student of the game and observes everything closely from behind the stumps. Besides the usual encouragement, he comes up with tips that help the bowlers in a big way," reckons RP Singh.


Lo Tarzan Aa Gaya
During his early days, when he was playing first class cricket, Dhoni sported shoulder-length hair. Some of his opponents used that to sledge him. Whenever he walked out to bat, a few in the fielding side would scream 'Lo Tarzan Aa Gaya.'

You're not good enough: Just a year before Dhoni made his international debut, he wasn't considered good enough to represent his employers Railways. In fact, a selection committee headed by Diana Eduljee discarded him after watching Dhoni at the trials for a few minutes only because they had already made up their mind on picking another wicketkeeper.

Thanks, but no thanks: Soon after he was picked to play for India, the Railways selectors pleaded with him to play for the team, but he said a firm 'no'.

The zeroes in his bank-balance: As a young boy from a middle-class family, Dhoni's first big ambition in life was to save enough for a rainy day. And a cool '25-lakh rupees in the bank' was the target he set for himself to lead a luxurious life. Indeed, he has come a long way since then adding a few more zeroes to his bank account.

Doodh ka dhula: There's a misconception that Dhoni drinks a lot of milk. In fact, what he likes is flavoured milk. It may be a milkshake or a chocolate drink.

The sleeping star: As a professional cricketer, getting good sleep is a huge luxury. However, on his off-days, the first thing Dhoni looks forward to is to hit the bed and sleep for long hours.

Seven up: He considers 7 as his lucky number. He was born on the 7th day of the 7th month (July 7). When he made it into the Indian team, his elder sister, Jayanti, presented him a diamond locket with No 7 inscribed on it. Dhoni still carries his lucky charm with him, though it's not always that he wears it. Even his bikes have No 7 inscribed.

Lover of the beautiful game: Football was Dhoni's first love. And his favourite footballer is Portugal and Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo. It's hardly surprising that he too wears a No 7 jersey.

Animal instinct: Dhoni's love for fast bikes and dogs has been well documented. But people will be pleasantly surprised to know that such is his love for his dogs that, when he is at home in Ranchi, he sleeps in the company of his favourite dogs in his bed.

The Dal-Chawal boy: A simple person that Dhoni is, he relishes dal and roti. Of course, if he can get hold of some chicken curry as well, he won't complain.

Sweet tooth or sweet jaw: When it comes to sweets, polishing off an entire bar of Cadbury chocolate is routine stuff for him. He also has a distinct liking for 'Sonpapdi', especially if one can get it from a particular shop in Dhaka.

Wired up: On tours, he is usually hooked onto his lap top during his spare time. Play Station I, II, III were his favourites. And it's his liking for computer games that has seen the younger players catch the 'virus'.

Shy? Who me? Dhoni started off as a very shy cricketer, one who would be cocooned in his hotel room once the day's play was over. However, much like his game, he evolved quickly as a person. And now he spreads warmth and sunshine with his overwhelming presence wherever he goes.

The Kishore-Lata fan: His liking for music is restricted to Indian stuff. He has a distinct liking for Hindi songs, most notably those rendered by Kishore Kumar and Lata Mangeshkar.

Being cool. It's in his jeans: He's not very choosy or particular about the clothes he wears. He's comfortable in whatever T-shirts or jeans he can lay his hands on. Even if his T-shirt is not ironed, he'll simply brush it with his hands and put them on. On special occasions, he won't mind ironing his clothes himself.

Well-grounded personality: An ice-cool person that he is, he was unbelievably relaxed the morning after India won the Twenty20 World Cup. "Sab Kuch Normal Rakhne Ka," he told this scribe at the breakfast table.

A Rahul fan: And his one big desire, along with a few other young members of Team India, was to meet Rahul Gandhi.