A learning process for the skipper

A groin injury to regular skipper Anil Kumble thrust the one-day captain into the hot seat in the longer version in a must-win game after the hosts had lost the previous Test to South Africa.

On an underprepared track, Dhoni led his team to a commanding three-day win to kickstart his Test captaincy career on the perfect note.
It wasn’t until later that year, in Nagpur against Australia, that Dhoni became the Test skipper too in his own right after Kumble announced his retirement.
Between Kanpur last year and now, the Jharkhandi has led the country in eight Tests, winning five and drawing the other three. An impressive start, that.

“It’s a process,” Dhoni said as he was asked to reflect on the journey between then and now. “The journey has been good so far, I am just hoping it gets better and better. I don’t think international cricket is all about that, though. It’s all about the tough moments you go through. The team changes every now and then, you miss players because of injuries. The good thing is you always have experienced players in the side who can help you out.”