MS Dhoni's captaincy is a mixture of Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly: Lalchand Rajput
Former India coach and manager, Lalchand Rajput explained in a candid chat how MS Dhoni's leadership qualities were an amalgamation of Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly when he first took over the reins of the Indian team at the 2007 World T20 in South Africa.
In a live chat with Indranil Basu on Sportskeeda's Facebook page, Rajput revealed how MS Dhoni took forward the leadership legacy of Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid and scripted unparalleled as the Indian captain.
Rajput, who was India's manager during Dhoni's inaugural tournament as captain in the 2007 WT20, stated that thinking one step ahead proved to be an important factor in Dhoni's escalation as a world-class leader.
"To be honest, he was very very calm. He used to think two steps ahead because a captain has to make a decision on the ground... One thing I liked about him was that he was a thinking captain. He seemed to me like a mixture of [Sourav] Ganguly and Rahul Dravid... Ganguly was very very aggressive and thinking but was positive and thinking.
"He [Ganguly] used to give players a lot of confidence. Ganguly was the one who changed the mentality of the Indian team and I think it was just carried forward by Dhoni... If Dhoni felt like a certain player had potential, he made sure he gave that player got enough opportunities."
The 2007 World T20 triumph under Lalchand Rajput and MS Dhoni
After a disastrous 2007 50-over WC campaign in West Indies earlier in the year, the Indian team management picked a young side to participate in an unknown territory, a T20 World Cup.
To everyone's surprise, MS Dhoni was selected as the captain of the side. With the luxury of talent and potential at his disposal, Dhoni crafted phenomenal success with the help of his team and they emerged as World Cup winners. He further went on to win the 2011 50-over World Cup held in India, followed by the Champions Trophy in 2013 to complete a unique treble.