Before stepping down from his limited-overs captaincy in January, this year, calm and composed character Mahendra Singh Dhoni has set a unique tradition in Team India and led from the front as an example which inspired many including current Indian skipper Virat Kohli.
The 28-year-old Delhi-based Kohli was bold and equally brash during his early days of his international career which subsequently saw him achieving the staggering numbers across international formats.
Have you ever thought why the gloveman Dhoni walked away to stood on a corner after receiving the trophy? The answer is that he always wanted to boost the morale of the teammates, in particular, the promising youngsters, who were always raring to go.
After relinquishing from the captaincy post, Kohli went on to imitate Dhoni for a similar reason, as he has always worn heart on the sleeve while representing the country which religiously follows the gentleman’s game.
However, during the ‘Cricketer of the Century’ book launch in 2013 which was written on Little Master Tendulkar by veteran sports journalist Vimal Kumar, Dhoni revealed the primes reason of handing over the trophies to youngsters following the culmination of series in India’s favour.
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According to the video released by broadcasting channel Aaj Tak, Dhoni stated he was aiming to push the youngsters for their integral role and further allow them to enjoy their space.
“You are appreciating what he has done. It gives them a lot of confidence,” Dhoni maintained in 26-second Aaj Tak video capsule which was uploaded by a Twitter user Baahubali.
The recent example of Kohli stepping into Dhoni’s shoes came to the fore in Nagpur when he opted to pose for a photograph from the corner with latter standing right behind him after sealing the five-match One-day international series with seven-wicket win over Australia by 4-1 in Nagpur on October 01.
Interestingly, it was the latest sensation in seam-bowling all-rounder Hardik Pandya, who has played a significant part since featuring in the international set-up while banking on his strength.
The 36-year-old Ranchi-born Dhoni has been the epitome of success for India and whose unorthodoxy and shrewd thinking paid him rich dividends which further saw him becoming the household name.
“It’s just that, if there is any youngster in the team who has performed well in the series and you hand him over the trophy, it works as an appraisal for him,” Dhoni added.
Known for his generous approach on and off-the-field, Dhoni won many hearts for making things miserable for top-notch teams while marching his troops behind the stumps when he was in his prime.
“If I hand it over to some youngster and I’m getting benefitted that he could perform better in future by this gesture then it’s a win-win situation for us,” Dhoni stressed upon.
Following the change of the guarding while talking all-four bilateral series into the consideration, the quick learner of the game, Kohli decided to pay tribute to his former captain by posing alongside teammates with youngsters, who mostly get hold of the trophy or find themselves close to the prized possession.
One of the best captains in the world of cricket has further lifted three major ICC World Cup titles since taking the responsibility in September 2007 as limited-overs skipper which further shows how he dictated his terms being as a man of principle and thoroughly professional.
“At the end of the day, we have won the trophy. It doesn’t matter who holds it,” Dhoni concluded.
Remarkable Dhoni made his international debut against Bangladesh at Chittagong on December 23, 2004; he went on to play 306 ODIs following by 90 Tests and 80 Twenty20 Internationals.
Here’s the video of sublime Dhoni:
https://twitter.com/bahubalikabadla/status/920198882226606081