It’s a dream come true: Dhoni
Delighted at hitting the top of the Test charts for the first ever time, Mahendra Singh Dhoni said Sunday’s 'remarkable' accomplishment was the result of a complete team effort over the last year and a half.
“We have done something remarkable, and we would love to celebrate it,” the captain said India displaced South Africa from the top of the standings following their 2-0 win over Sri Lanka.
“We would like savour the achievement made possible because of the contribution of the whole team.
“It’s a dream come true but we don’t think about being the number one team. What we do is try to play every game well. If you do well every time, the ratings take care of themselves,” the Jharkhand batsman said.
“It was a constant process for the last 18 months. Whatever Test cricket we have played, we have played really well. The contributions have been great, it is a complete team effort. One good thing is we had the same team play a majority of the games. There weren’t too many injuries, we were playing with almost the best side available. This is the result of good preparation and execution of the plans on the field for the last 18-20 months,” he said.
India don’t have too many Tests lined up in the near future. “We have to play whatever cricket is offered to us,” Dhoni observed.
“It is a bit of concern that we are playing just two Test matches in the next six months, so it will be tough for us to maintain this number one position.
To sustain this, we have to do well everywhere. To stay number one, we have to keep on doing well,” the wicket keeper batsman said.
Dhoni stressed on the ‘team’ concept. “It is not about individuals,” he reiterated.
“This was not achieved through one or two individuals, everyone has contributed. The best part is to share the dressing room with the experienced players.
Because they have played in different conditions, it gives us plenty of knowledge when you talk to them. The dressing room atmosphere matters a lot. It is not that we have won each and every game easily. But the preparation and the execution of plans were great,” Dhoni added.
To people who believe he has the ‘golden touch’, Dhoni’s message was simple.
“As a captain, it is more about what the players are doing on the field, otherwise you will see non-playing captains more often than not. You can pick up someone who is good with the golden touch, with plenty of luck.”
On to Virender Sehwag. “He is one of the greatest,” Dhoni gushed.
“Sehwag plays Test cricket in a very different way and his mentality is different. He is a very confident guy, a very aggressive and a very thinking cricketer.
“His formula works only for him. He is one of the best I have seen when it comes to Test cricket,” he added.
