A captain is as good as his team

Nagpur: Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who is just hours away from leading India in his first Test as full-fledged captain, spoke to The Telegraph at the Pride Hotel on Tuesday evening

Q. Your first Test as the full-fledged captain will be the last of the captain, Sourav Ganguly, under whom you made your India debut (December 2004). Your thoughts on this?

A (Grins) I couldn’t have dreamt that I’d be the captain within four years... I would’ve laughed had somebody said so then... I’ve had a good journey and it has been an absolute honour to share the dressing room with great players, Sourav being one of them... I’ve been privileged, but those making their debut now will be missing the experience of having been in the same dressing room as Anil Kumble and Sourav




How did you find Sourav as captain?

Look, I didn’t study his captaincy thinking I’d myself be the captain one day... Sourav’s a great thinker and, obviously, that came through when he was the captain... Even now, he can reel off stats about players and how matches have gone at particular venues... What’s happened to teams winning the toss... It’s remarkable... As captain, he wasn’t shy of trying something new and was flexible with strategy... Sourav has quite a few qualities and I’d say it has been a pleasure playing with him. (Adds laughing) His only problem as captain, I guess, was with the over-rates!

What similarities do you find between Sourav’s captaincy and your own style?

Aggression definitely is one... Like Sourav, I’m flexible with plans for the opposition batters... I don’t believe in being rigid with something only because it has been worked upon in the dressing room. Flexibility has to be the name of the game.

Your take on Sourav’s legacy?

Let me tell you it will be tough for the coming generation to achieve what Sourav and the others have consistently achieved over so many years... That they’re legends says everything... The seniors have been such fine role models, each one of them.

Are you disappointed that you got the blame when Sourav got dropped from ODIs earlier this year?

As your question concerns selection, I wouldn’t like to say anything... I wouldn’t like to get into territory where I shouldn’t be going... Moreover, almost a year has gone, so why rake it up?

As captain, you too are aggressive, but rather restrained if a comparison is to be made with Sourav...

I’m not over-expressive... So, in a way, I’m different, but the agenda is the same: To win... A captain has to get the best out of his team, that’s important, not so much the method he uses.

Do you also believe that a captain is as good as his team?

Yes... 100 per cent... One keeps hearing X or Y is a good captain, but that’s because X or Y has had a good team at his disposal.

What will you be telling yourself when you go for the toss, on Thursday morning?

(Laughs) Probably nothing! If I do say anything, it could be that I should win the toss...

How would you describe your style of captaincy?

Oh, that’s a real tough one... What I want, of course, is 100 per cent commitment... Winning is important, but I’m not driven by results alone... I accept that, at times, one could get outplayed... That’s part of the game... It’s the commitment bit which, for me, is very important. I’d never compromise on that.

Captaincy doesn’t end with the end of the day’s play...

(Interrupting) I don’t like being the captain when, for example, the team is back at the hotel... In that respect, then, I wouldn’t say I’m the captain off the field as well... I wouldn’t like the players to see me that way either... A captain has responsibilities, but that doesn’t mean I’ve got to be the captain at all times... However, it’s not that I’m not available to guide others and am always concerned about their well being. (After a pause) Win or lose, I wouldn’t like the atmosphere in the dressing room to change too much.


The final one: The Test here will be Sourav’s last and VVS Laxman’s 100th... Then, Harbhajan Singh is on the threshold of 300 Test wickets... Could all that be a distraction?

No... I’d like to look at the positives... That Laxman has the experience of 99 Tests... That Harbhajan has already taken 299 wickets... That Sourav would be looking to bow out on a high... Clearly, there are many positives. I’m not worried