The intriguing art of captaincy has been a subject of discussion in the IPL matches so far. Chennai Super Kings skipper M.S. Dhoni, who led India to victory in the ICC World Twenty20, has often said that a captain is as good as his team, which explains his calm when most others combust in self-doubt.
Captaining a side with international stars and star-struck locals with a need both as a team and personally to validate price tags, calls for clarity.
Different demands
Unlike bilateral tournaments which allow enough time to study opposition players, playing different teams in a week in Twenty20 puts different demands on captains. Dhoni works around the system. He's instinctive, with a remarkable understanding of the game.
The idea of losing isn't feared. As much as Dhoni's success has lent weight to discussions on his captaincy, his methods have made him the captain he is.
The Chennai side's bowling was perceived as being one of the weakest, or rather, lacking in familiarity. Unlike batsmen left to their own, bowlers require the security of suitable fields and the confidence of the captain. Youngsters like Joginder Sharma, P. Amarnath and Manpreet Gony have benefited from being backed by their captain.
Backs Joginder
Dhoni, in his repeated decision to use Joginder as a bowler at the death has shown nerve. At that stage, a batsman's heightened compulsion for runs makes Joginder's reduced pace a handful. The bowler, to his credit, has responded.
There isn't an obligation to utilise a player for his legend. In a brave decision that could have backfired, Muttiah Muralitharan was left out of the game against Royal Challengers Bangalore.
"I felt there wouldn't have been any assistance for spinners, especially for Murali. When he bowls his first couple of overs after the eighth over of the innings, the ball is fairly new. It would have been a bit easy to score off him in Bangalore," said the skipper.
Biggest challenge
Dhoni's biggest challenge now lies in coping with the exit of match-winners Matthew Hayden, Michael Hussey and Jacob Oram. In some ways, the situation is tailor-made for his style of leadership to evolve. He might play down his importance but like his counterpart Shane Warne in the Rajasthan Royals side, he'll be expected to carry his team through the critical stages of the league.
