Dhoni, Kirsten, Tendulkar make
team world beaters
MUMBAI: When
Mahendra Singh
Dhoni lofted
Nuwan Kulasekara
for the winning
six against Sri
Lanka, he stood
gazing at the ball
as it flew through
the Mumbai night
sky, soaking up
the sweet moment
and the reward
for four years of
hard work and the
introduction of a
work ethic and
team bonding not
seen in previous
Indian teams.
Four years ago, the team was in
ruins after crashing out in the
first round of the World Cup in
the Caribbean, with fans baying
for the cricketers' blood.
But the transition in the next
four-year cycle has been
outstanding, the picture
completed with the six-wicket
victory at the Wankhede Stadium,
when Dhoni anchored the run
chase with his knock of 91.
The three characters who stand
out for India in the
transformation of the team's
approach are Dhoni, low-profile
coach Gary Kirsten and the
indefatigable Sachin Tendulkar.
If Dhoni has marshaled his
resources well, Kirsten has been
the facilitator of systems and
Tendulkar the biggest inspiration
for younger players.
These three have transformed
the team into a powerful unit
that has done well in different
conditions around the world and
also come back from the brink to
achieve impressive victories.
Tendulkar, who has played with
many top players in his 21 years
of international cricket, said
Saturday he was enjoying playing
like never before.
"This team shows a lot of self
belief and is extremely
consistent," Tendulkar said after
the victory. "It is a great honor to
be part of this team."
The Indian team, already
enjoying top ranking in Test
cricket, is now also atop the one-
day table.
In the past few years, India has
come back undefeated from Test
tours of Australia and South
Africa, won a Test series in New
Zealand as well as one-day series
in Australia and Sri Lanka, all
considered difficult feats for any
team.
But the one event that triggered
the cycle was the Twenty20
World Championship victory in
South Africa four years ago,
which offset the despair of the
2007 World Cup and refreshed
the side.
Dhoni gave the first glimpse of
his charismatic qualities as a
leader of a young team and
slowly took over as captain of
one-dayers and test matches too.
Dhoni conceded the other day
that he does not believe in too
much planning and likes to give
players freedom as well as
responsibilities.
"I don't even attend the bowlers'
meeting. I'm happy to let them
come up with strategies and
keep that out of my mind," he
said about the Zaheer Khan-led
attack.
But Dhoni, like most others,
accepts that South African
Kirsten's contribution has been
immense, specially in removing
the insecurities that have dogged
players in the past.
"Everyone knows what he has
done for the team. He knows our
players very well and is probably
the best thing to happen to
Indian cricket," Dhoni said of
him.
Supporting Kirsten has been
South African Paddy Upton,
credited with the players' better
mental conditioning.
The team management has also
thought out of the box and been
inspired by the likes of high
altitude climber and Arctic
explorer Mike Horn.
"Mike is an adventurer and the
stories that he tells of his
experiences are simply
outstanding. He has given us
insight into what the human
mind can do for us," Dhoni said
of him.
India opener Virender Sehwag,
like many of his teammates, said
the team had been wanting to
win the World Cup for Tendulkar
and revealed that the team had
been aiming for the win for over
a year.
"For more than one year, we
have been aiming to do this. It
has been a team effort with even
a 38-yer-old Tendulkar diving on
the boundary line today,"
Sehwag said after the victory.