Chief selector Dilip Vengsarkar could not have put it better. Mahender Singh Dhoni was the best choice to captain India after Rahul Dravid stepped down. The debonair wicket-keeper batsman will lead India in One Day Internationals (ODIs) against Australia and Pakistan. Sachin Tendulkar would have been the front runner for the job, but for his admission that one-dayers were taking a toll on his body. Sourav Ganguly could at best have been a stop-gap arrangement. Keeping in view the long-term requirement of Team India, Dhoni is a logical candidate and a good choice. The 26-year-old from Ranchi was, after all, Dravid's deputy for the recent one-day series in the UK.  In fact, coach Greg Chappell had marked Mahi, as Dhoni is fondly called, as a potential leader.

Making his Ranji Trophy debut for Bihar in 1999-2000, Dhoni now holds the distinction of captaining India in an international match without ever captaining either of his home teams -- Bihar and Jharkhand -- in any important domestic match. In 2004, things began happening for  Dhoni. He got his chance in the one-day series in Bangladesh. He performed  well both in front of and behind the stumps and there was no looking back. Once when he was asked on his dual role, he said that when India is fielding, he is a wicketkeeper-batsman and  when India is batting he turns into a batsman-wicketkeeper. This attitude of his makes him really stand apart and gives him an identity as much as his long, streaked mane does.

Dhoni in full flow is a treat to watch. A flamboyant batsman, a good striker of the ball and an agile wicketkeeper, he shares these qualities with Farokh Engineer who was one of the best in his trade. Though Syed Kirmani has been highly critical of his fundamentals as a wicket-keeper, there is one small bit of statistic they both share - both have captained India. In fact, they will be the only two wicketkeepers to lead the country, not counting Dravid's stint behind the wickets. Dhoni's exploits have raised a lot of  expectations, despite being handed a high-pressure job. Dhoni will now have to manage his own aggressive game, the resources of three former skippers and simultaneously deliver. Not an easy task  but it should not be too tough for the adaptable swashbuckler. The country looks up to him to keep the fortunes of the game intact .