DHONI THE DANGER FOR ENGLAND

Captain, wicketkeeper and batsman, Mahendra Singh Dhoni wears many hats for India - but none more expertly than competitor.

That is the key to his play.

Whether he is directing his players, attacking bowlers, or throwing himself around behind the stumps, Dhoni has almost perfected the art of coming out on top in a crunch.

Dhoni's cloak of invincibility has long outgrown the sum of his talents, for they are limited.

Take his wicketkeeping for instance.

It was not until he was well entrenched in the Indian team, two years after he made his debut, that his work behind the stumps was deemed tidy.

His batting, while effective, has been unconventional and ungainly, bettered by several others - some many years his junior - in the team he commands.

His one-day debut was a marked failure - run out for a duck against lowly Bangladesh in Chittagong.

Yet, only four years after he first appeared on the international scene as a 23-year-old with flowing mane, Dhoni has accomplished what many more illustrious names in the game have not.

Dhoni's first brush with stardom came in the summer of 2005 when he slammed 148 off just 123 deliveries against Pakistan in a one-day international at Vishakapatnam.

It was only the fifth appearance of the youngster from the remote and backward north Indian state of Jharkhand.

Pakistan were to become his favourite opponents. He scored his first Test century against them in December 2005 and in the one-day series that followed, he played a role of greater significance.

India scored an unprecedented 4-1 series win with Dhoni's contribution with the bat having a direct bearing on the results.

Dhoni soon rocketed to the top of the ICC ODI rankings but his crowning glory was still to come.

India's famed trio of captains, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly had opted out of the World Twenty20 in South Africa and Dhoni was unexpectedly charged with leading a bunch of fringe

The decision was to change forever the skyline of Indian cricket.

The triumph in South Africa was pretty much a new beginning.

Dhoni's unruffled demeanour, his ability to lead from the front and forge a bunch of apparent no-hopers into a fighting unit caught the imagination of a nation and its panel of selectors.

When Dravid relinquished his hold on the one-day captaincy, Dhoni was his natural successor.

Three years on from Chittagong Dhoni had reached the pinnacle of Indian sport. The progression was complete.

For a player with absolutely no prior experience of leading a team, Dhoni's ability to articulate, assign and inspire has been remarkable.

No obstacle has been insurmountable, no mountain too high to climb and he has enjoyed some notable successes.

The triangular CB Series victory in Australia this year was a significant achievement. India had never before won a series against the world champions in their own backyard but Dhoni made it possible.

Another series win in Sri Lanka against a rampaging Ajantha Mendis only served to enhance his reputation.

In between were strong performances in the Asia Cup, the triangular series in Bangladesh which he narrowly lost, and the Indian Premier League, where he led a depleted Chennai Super Kings team to the final.

"The World Twenty20 win was the starting point - not from the victory point of view but the way we performed, the way we enjoyed each other's success," Dhoni said.

"Everybody was coming up with ideas, everybody wanted to win every game. That was the turning point. That's what is needed."