Dhoni was well aware of the fact that the debacle at the T20 World Cup had made the fans forget India’s dream run in the last couple of seasons, since his reign as the captain of India. He was under tremendous pressure to bring the team back on track with fewer resources available. He did that job in style as India sealed their 5^th consecutive series victory in Caribbean with an unassailable 2-1 lead as the last ODI washed out due to rain. The series would be a huge confidence booster for team India as they go in for a long break after a tiring season. MSD deserves a pat on his back for regrouping the team in a short span after they received one of the biggest setbacks in their cricketing history. As usual, effigies were burnt, public display of anger and other routine activities by the fans were done effectively. Asian spectators are known for their emotional reaction towards the result though the Lankan supporters haven’t reached this level. These kind of responses are usually related to the Football hooligans in England.

Fans should understand the fact that winning and losing are two sides of a coin. India cannot be expected to win every match it plays. The administrators expect this level of vibrancy from the fans, as they are the source of money which drives cricket forward.

Winning and loosing are all parts of the game, like two sides of a coin. When we toss the coin, we can’t predict which side will come up. The same is the case with cricket; especially the T20 version.

But let us take a look at it from media perspective. Media has come up with a discussion on “Who is to be blamed for the failure?”. This kind of discussion, although not necessary, will help to identify the pros and cons of the team.

There are many hot discussions going on. The most common one is, whether the skipper has to be blamed for his poor performance and co-ordination. As we all know, Dhoni is a talented player and very efficient as a skipper. But this time, he had a clash with the media on Sehwag’s much spoken injury. Many senior players have come up with the opinion that Dhoni needs to manage the media with more care. This incident might have indeed made some sparks inside the dressing room, which in turn made the players to deviate from the game.

Another hot discussion is on Sehwag’s absence. Many questions arise on this context. How much did India miss Virender Sehwag, with the kind of opening and the spontaneous start he gives? Did his injury bring down the confidence level in the team? India did not have an alternate option on who could give a sparkling start to the Indian innings together with Gambhir?

The after-effects of IPL matches is yet another important aspect. The players could have been drained and tired after the IPL as matches were played on consecutive days with a total of 59 matches! This can be considered a reason for the world cup failure indeed. But still, a vital question arises. What about the players in the other winning teams, as most of them have also played in IPL? Many players are of the opinion that IPL matches gave them a real opportunity to tune their strengths for the world cup.

Anyway, India’s T20 world cup dreams for the year 2009 has come to an end. Still we can hope(as usual) that they will come back with real energy for the upcoming West Indies tour and the biggy, ICC world cup.

Hugely popular with fans for his once long hair, model good looks and his fleet of motorbikes, Dhoni the man has a very good temperament and has the knack to curb natural aggression when needed.

The captain

Initially recognized as an extravagantly flamboyant and destructive batsman, Dhoni has come to be regarded as one of the best and coolest heads to captain the Indian team. I have not seen such an influential captain in the history of Indian Cricket. Although there have been many brave and valiant men who have tried to steer the Indian Team, I strongly believe that this man with iron hands is definitely the best!

His achievements

Under his captaincy, India won the 2007 ICC World Twenty20, CB Series of 2007-08 and the Border-Gavaskar trophy 2008 in which India beat Australia 2-0. He also led the team to their first-ever bilateral ODI series wins in Sri Lanka and New Zealand. To top it all, he has recently led India to a historic test win in New Zealand.

His awards

Dhoni has also been the recipient of many awards including the ICC ODI Player of the Year award in 2008 (the first Indian player to achieve this feat), the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award and the Padma Shri, India’s fourth highest civilian honor in 2009.

Let’s hope Dhoni continues his dream tryst with destiny to lead India and Indians to even greater heights.