"He is extremely focused and very disciplined" - When Dilip Vengsarkar backed MS Dhoni's elevation to captaincy
When MS Dhoni was appointed captain of a young Indian team for the 2007 T20 World Cup in South Africa, there was a sense of intrigue around the decision. Under Rahul Dravid, India had been embarrassingly knocked out of the ODI World Cup in West Indies and one did not quite know what to expect from Dhoni.
The young lad from Ranchi, though, created history, as India lifted the inaugural T20 World Cup title, defeating arch-rivals Pakistan by five runs in a thrilling final in Johannesburg. The victory made Dhoni an ever bigger star overnight.
Following the triumph in the ICC event in South Africa, former India captain and then chief selector Dilip Vengsarkar lavished praise on the young cricketer. Speaking to Hindustan Times, he commented [as quoted by ESPNcricinfo]:
"I have been watching Dhoni from close quarters for quite some time now. I found him to be a very good student of the game. He is extremely focused, down to earth and very disciplined. He is modest about his achievements and possesses good man-management skills. He has all the qualities of a good captain."
Dhoni led India in seven matches in the 2007 T20 World Cup, scoring 154 runs at an average of 30.80 and a strike rate of 128.33, with a best of 45, which came off 33 balls against South Africa. The keeper-batter also contributed 36 off 18 in the semifinal against Australia in Durban.
Dhoni is regarded among the finest white-ball captains
While Dhoni had his limitations as leader and batter in Test cricket, he is counted among the best when it comes to the limited overs formats. As leader, the 43-year-old guided India to victory in the 2011 ODI World Cup at home and the 2013 Champions Trophy in England. He remains the only captain to have won all three ICC white-ball crowns.
Looking at his record as captain in the limited overs formats, he led the Men in Blue in exactly 200 one-dayers, winning 110 and losing 74. Further, five matches ended in a tie, while 11 produced no result. In T20Is, the stumper led the Men in Blue in 72 games, winning 41 of them. Also, under him, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have won a record-equaling five IPL titles.