Strength of mind is Dhoni's biggest asset

To attribute Dhoni’s success to mere instinct will, however, be doing gross injustice to a wonderfully astute cricketing brain that thinks differently from the average captain, though occasionally, his stubborn, adamant ways can frustrate even the most patient.

Dhoni isn’t a great captain only because he has led India to the World T20 and 50-over World Cup titles, and to the number one Test ranking. As impressive as those achievements are – and truth to tell, they are massive – what sets him apart is the supreme confidence in his decision-making, and the strength of mind to stick with it even when the whole world and its cousin roundly criticise it.

Coming into the final, he had had a topsy-turvy World Cup. His own run-scoring form had temporarily deserted him, mainly because he was batting too low down in most cases simply because there was no other choice. Armchair critics and acknowledged pundits questioned his choice of bowlers in general, and his choice of Ashish Nehra for the last over against South Africa in particular.

Harming own  cause

They attributed motives to his liking for Piyush Chawla’s leg-spin as opposed to R Ashwin’s off-spin. They might have had their reasons, but at the end of the day, they ought to have realised that by making wrong choices or conferring favouritism, Dhoni would be harming himself and his team more than anyone else.

Untouched – and that is an innate gift that is so responsible for Dhoni being what he is today -- by the clamour around him, the Jharkandi backed himself in every situation. He made tough calls, left out Yusuf Pathan as the knockout stages arrived, cast Ashwin out in the semifinal against Pakistan and brought on Nehra, then admitted that he had totally misread the Mohali pitch.

For the final, he recalled S Sreesanth, who hadn’t had a game since February 19, for the injured Nehra when the experts backed Ashwin’s off-spin. It wasn’t a great gamble, nor did it backfire. More crucial, though, was his decision to push himself up to number five, ahead of Player of the Tournament Yuvraj Singh.

It was courageous and gutsy when, had it not come off, it would have been pilloried as foolhardy and selfish. Dhoni had little form coming into the final while Yuvraj was on fire, with four man of the match awards in the competition. If Dhoni had failed and India had lost, there is no gainsaying what the backlash might have been; Dhoni was not unmindful of the pitfalls of failure, but the fear of failure never entered his mind.

It was the classic case of taking on a challenge, as Dhoni has repeatedly done, and coming out trumps. At various stages, his characteristic composure deserted him, but only briefly so; he kept the big strokes in the backburner at the start, determined to play himself in, but once he was in, Sri Lanka were out.

His calculated dismantling of the Muttiah Muralitharan threat justified the call to split left-handers Gautam Gambhir and Yuvraj; his thunderous assault on Nuwan Kulasekara and Thisara Perera was breathtaking and his approach against Lasith Malinga intelligent rather than adventurous. It was a complete innings which ended with a signature flourish, a towering six that disappeared into the Mumbai skies, the pose held as victory was attained and the shutter-bugs started clicking away.

Even in that moment when a thousand emotions must have flitted through his mind and body, the captain had the presence of mind to rush to pick up stumps for souvenirs before sinking into Yuvraj’s arms. Even an hour after the final, it still had not sunk in that he had won the World Cup as he giggled and forgot questions and stumbled through the press conference. It provided a new insight into Dhoni the person, but come Friday and IPL IV, and Captain Cool will be back in business.