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In this Saturday, March, 30, 2013 photo, Indian cricket player Mahendra Singh Dhoni, center, runs after a ball during a charity soccer match played between Indian cricket players and Bollywood actors in New Delhi, India. In this Saturday, March, 30, 2013 p
Mahendra Singh Dhoni said he used to have on-field discussion with Sachin Tendulkar on team strategy and would not mind disagreeing with his senior colleague even before he was made captain. Tendulkar is my sporting hero and because of the aura he carries, I still have difficulties speaking up to him outside a cricket field. But on field, I always give my honest inputs about team strategy, Dhoni said. Tendulkar and I used to discuss team strategy on the field. If I am convinced I would even disagree with him and it happened quiet often. I think my honesty has paid dividends when he recommended me for captaincy. He might be thinking that I have learnt in quick time on different aspects of the game and team strategy, he said. [caption id=attachment_669395 align=alignleft width=380 Mahendra Singh Dhoni said he used t
India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni played a match-winning 224 in the Chennai Test. He hit the three winning fours at Mohali too. In between, he has also managed to inflict the first 3-0 defeat the Australian Test team in a long time. So it's hard not to give him credit where it's due. But then again, it's hard to not notice his baffling tactics are skipper. [caption id=attachment_667296 align=alignleft width=380 India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni
Mahendra Singh Dhoni today showednerves of steel while guiding India to a nail-bitingsix-wicket win over Australia in the third Test, but the Indiaskipper said his team was under a bit of pressure despitechasing a small total for a series clinching victory. With one batsman less and with our lower order notscoring enough runs, yes we were under a bit of pressure,Dhoni said at the post-match press conference. After bowling out Australia for 223 in their secondinnings, India chased down the target of 133 with 15 ballsremaining before close of play in a match. [caption id=attachment_666048 align=alignleft width=380 Mahendra Singh Dhoni today showedne
In this Sunday, March 10, 2013 photo, budding Indian players practice at a soccer coaching camp in Kolkata, India. When sports lovers in India talk about a Premier League igniting their passion, they re usually not referring to the English football competition. For now, football players in India are considered the poor cousins of glamorous cricketers like Sachin Tendulkar, Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Virat Kohli, who have the marketability to sell anything from real estate projects to motor bikes or cola. In this Sunday, March 10, 2013 phot
Sourav Ganguly Tuesday lauded Mahendra Singh Dhoni for becoming the most successful Indian Test captain, surpassing his record, and hoped that the Jharkhand wicketkeeper-batsman would be able to carry his showing in the coming foreign engagements. Dhoni's record is praiseworthy. Twenty-two Test wins is not a small achievement. And the success against Australia has come against the backdrop of the not-so-good times he went through in the last two years, said Ganguly. However, he linked the stints of former captains as also that of Dhoni to a relay race where each skipper carried the baton forward. [caption id=attachment_650352 align=alignleft width=380 Sourav Ganguly Tuesday lauded Mahen
strongHyderabad/strong: India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni feels winning most matches as an Indian Test captain is a collective effort and said the credit should go to all the team members. Dhoni surpassed Sourav Ganguly as the most successful Indian Test captain with 22 wins after India won the second cricket Test against Australia by an innings and 135 runs here Tuesday. India now have a 2-0 lead in the four-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy series. [caption id=attachment_649042 align=alignleft width=380 strongHyderabad/strong: India skipp
Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwinfeels that Mahendra Singh Dhoni's magnificent batting formreflected on his captaincy which helped India produce aclinical performance in the first Test against Australia. I think he pointed it out himself after the match thathe isn't sure whether he would be able to replicate theperformance again. I mean he scored two hundreds in almost twosessions which was extraordinary, Ashwin told reporters aheadof the second Test match starting here tomorrow. In fact, he (Dhoni) set the tempo as a captain and hisperformance reflected on his field settings and bowlingchanges. We didn't look back after that. If someone plays aninnings like that, it can be demoralising for any opposition,he said. [caption id=attachment_645075 align=alignleft width=380 Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwinfeel
Mahendra Singh Dhoni was modest in admitting that he never dreamt of playing for thecountry, leave aside scoring a double hundred in Test cricketever in his career. Dhoni smashed 224 for off 265 deliveries in India's firstinnings score of 572 in reply to Australia's 380 to lay thefoundation for the hosts' convincing eight-wicket victory inthe opening cricket Test of the four-match series here. Questioned about his majestic double century, Dhonireplied:I had never dreamt that I would get a double inTests. I had never even dreamt of playing for the country. Coming onto bat on the third day of match with India at196 for four, Dhoni produced a stunning counter-attackingknock on a difficult Chepauk pitch to notch up his maidendouble ton, his sixth Test century overall. [caption id=attachment_639988 align=alignleft width=380 Mahendra Singh Dhoni was modest in
strongDharamsala/strong: India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni defended out-of-form Gautam Gambhir and Ravichandran Ashwin, but did admit that the former was going through a lean patch and the latter was trying to use too many variations. Yeah, he (Gambhir) has been going through a lean patch but he is an experienced player. I believe he has batted a bit better in the last few games. Unlike some of the earlier matches, he didn't look tentative and was a lot more decisive about stroke-making, Dhoni said at the post-match media conference. I believe he is improving and don't forget he is an amazing player of spin bowling. Ideally, we want him to bat till the 35th-40th over, said Dhoni defending the Delhi left-hander, who has now scored only 156 runs in his last eight ODIs. Similarly when asked about a sudden slump in off-spinner Ashwin's form, Dhoni reasoned, May be he was using variations a bit too much but he has now realised his mistake. In the last couple of matches, he has been more consistent about length. He has not used too many variations and was trying to bowl to one line. But then you also need a perfect mix as variation has been Ashwin's strength. The new ODI rules, with five fielders inside the circle, has also made it slightly difficult. [caption id=attachment_603706 align=alignleft width=380 strongDharamsala/strong: India capt
strongMohali/strong: India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni today lauded the overall good performance of his players as they took an unassailable 3-1 lead over England in the five-match ODI series with a comprehensive five-wicket victory in the fourth and penultimate match here. India chased down the 258-run target easily, thanks to some quality bowling and solid batting by the side and Dhoni said it was a good performance. Overall a very good performance. We were right on spot with the new ball. We started off well and didn't let them get off to a quick start, Dhoni said. England scored 100 runs off the last 10 overs but Dhoni defended his bowlers, saying that it was a new attack and they will improve with experience. It is new bowling attack, they will learn a lot with more matches under their belt. 100 in 10 overs, it's bound to happen with the new rules. But overall I am happy. [caption id=attachment_600142 align=alignleft width=380 strongMohali/strong: India skipper
strongMohali/strong: India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni today lauded the overall good performance of his players as they took an unassailable 3-1 lead over England in the five-match ODI series with a comprehensive five-wicket victory in the fourth and penultimate match here. India chased down the 258-run target easily, thanks to some quality bowling and solid batting by the side and Dhoni said it was a good performance. Overall a very good performance. We were right on spot with the new ball. We started off well and didn't let them get off to a quick start, Dhoni said. [caption id=attachment_599922 align=alignleft width=380 strongMohali/strong: India skipper
strongRanchi/strong: India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni said the team had found a perfect bowling all-rounder in Ravindra Jadeja, who once again produced a spirited show to help the hosts comfortably beat England by seven wickets in the third ODI. Dhoni said India were struggling for a bowling all-rounder with the only option being Irfan Pathan, but in Jadeja the team had found a suitable answer. He (Jadeja) is definitely someone who is giving us that balance. In that way, Jadeja is the perfect person to have, Dhoni said. We have been struggling with the bowling all-rounder. Irfan is the only one that we have got. Before the new rules were introduced, we used to rely on Yuvraj Singh and other part timers to get over with the 10 overs. But with the new rule, Yuvi will need a bit more time to settle down as a bowler, he said. Dhoni, however, refused to put extra pressure on Jadeja as a batsman and said the team's top-order needs to perform. [caption id=attachment_594736 align=alignleft width=380 strongRanchi/strong: India skipper
India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni Thursday said stepping down from the ODI captaincy was something he hasn't thought about and left it to the selectors to take the call. On the eve of the first ODI here against England, when asked whether he had thought about stepping down as captain from any of the versions, Dhoni said: Never... In team sport, it is important that everyone keeps believing in themselves and understands their responsibility. [caption id=attachment_584635 align=alignleft width=380 India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni
Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Sunday said that the new ODI rules may have a role in the continuous no-show of the openers but expects them to adapt to the changed regulations for the good of the struggling team. Now, two news balls are used from each end and the pacers are also allowed two bouncers in an over. Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag have failed to set a good platform for the middle order batsmen for some time and the latter was today replaced by young batsman Ajinkya Rahane for today`s match against Pakistan. However, the script did not change with the replacement as India yet again struggled to negotiate the fiery fast bowling spell of the visitors. Dhoni said India badly needed its openers to do well with the England series just around the corner. [caption id=attachment_579350 align=alignleft width=380 Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni
Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni rued the absence of a fifth bowler and said his part-timers struggled on a sheepish wicket. India lost by six wickets to Pakistan in the first ODI at the Chepauk here Sunday. Dhoni, who was adjudged Man of the Match for his unbeaten 113, said it was difficult to make a comeback into the game after India lost their first five wickets for just 29 runs. It was a bad toss to lose, but I am happy with my batting. There was something for the fast bowlers, but they also pitched it in the right areas. Once we lost five wickets, it was difficult to come back, Dhoni said. [caption id=attachment_573847 align=alignleft width=380 Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni
India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni rates the visiting Pakistani side, especially its bowling, quite highly but feels the side which displays more consistency has better chances to do well in the one-day series, which begins in Chennai today. [caption id=attachment_572791 align=alignleft width=380 India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni
strongChennai/strong: India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni rates the visiting Pakistani side, especially its bowling, quite high but feels the side which remains more consistent has better chances to do well in the one-day series, beginning here tomorrow. Overall, Pakistan is a very good team. Its combination is such that they have specialist bowlers and have five bowlers for a match. In a way I feel they have complete bowling attack and they have experienced batsmen who can bat well in any conditions. Specialist spinners are also performing well, Dhoni said at the pre-match press conference, here. When it is compared to Indian team, it is a very balanced side with talented players. Overall, which ever the team bats and bowls well for a long period of time will turn out to be well, Dhoni added. [caption id=attachment_572638 align=alignleft width=380 strongChennai/strong: India skipper
strongBangalore/strong: India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni admitted that 133 was not a defendable total on this Chinnaswamy track as the hosts went down by five wickets in the first Twenty20 International. We should have got more runs. We got a good start, fantastic effort by the openers but then we kept losing wickets after that. We were short by 10 or 15 more runs which we should have got easily. 145 would have been a safe score on this track, Dhoni said at the post-match presentation ceremony. Indian spinners Yuvraj Singh and Ravindra Jadeja bowled plenty of long hops and Dhoni did mention that without taking any names. Our bowlers needed to pitch the ball up and not bowl short. [caption id=attachment_569042 align=alignleft width=380 strongBangalore/strong: India capta
Mahendra Singh Dhoni will lead the Indian cricket team for the two Twenty20 internationals and three ODIs against Pakistan from 25 December to 6 January, the selection committee announced Sunday. The two teams clash in the first T20 on Christmas day before playing another T20 match on 28 December. These will be followed by three one-day internationals, with the first one on 30 December, the second one on 3 January and the last one on 6 January. [caption id=attachment_567146 align=alignleft width=380 Mahendra Singh Dhoni will lead the
In this photograph taken on April 3, 2011, Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar (L) shakes hands with Indian President Pratibha Patil as Indian cricket team captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni (C) looks on during a tea party at the Governor's House in Mumbai . Indian batting legend Sachin Tendulkar on December 23, 2012 announced his retirement from one-day cricket after scoring a record-breaking 49 centuries in the 50-over format. In this photograph taken on April 3
strongPune/strong: India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni said he was worried when England were cruising at one stage and lauded his bowlers, especially Yuvraj Singh for turning the tide for them in the first Twenty20 match. England were off to a flying start, reaching 76 in just eight overs. The pressure was on the bowlers and it was important from the eighth over onwards that we were on top. Yuvraj was brilliant. I thought he bowled really well at the right time. I was a bit worried because they got off to a flying start but Ashwin bowled well in the first three overs, Dhoni said after India won the match by five wickets. Yuvraj took three wickets and conceded just 19 runs in his four-over quota. Dhoni said Yuvraj kept his cool under presssure and the win was morale boosting after crushing Test series defeat. [caption id=attachment_565184 align=alignleft width=380 strongPune/strong: India skipper Ma
strongPune/strong: Under-fire Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni today refused to be drawn into a debate over split-captaincy theory as suggested by former greats after his team's humiliating 1-2 Test series defeat against England. Your question on my view about split captaincy is good but let's stick to T20 format as we have a T20 game tomorrow, was Dhoni's curt reply when a local reporter asked him about the hotly debated topic. That Dhoni was trying to sidestep the issue became evident when he gave the same answer in a roundabout manner to a British journalist. Before the start of an important series, I don't want to comment on that. Because when it comes to Indian cricket, if it's not going the right way, questions pop up about captaincy, senior players, junior players, the kind of talent we have got, the bench strength we have got. Everything will pop up and if you keep answering, I think we will be short of time, was the Indian captain's reply to his query. [caption id=attachment_563414 align=alignleft width=380 strongPune/strong: Under-fire India
The clamour for Mahendra Singh Dhoni's removal as India's captain might be becoming shriller by the day but former skipper Rahul Dravid feels he is the man to take the team forward as there is no viable alternative in sight. At the moment I don't really see a viable alternative. I really think Dhoni can be the man to take India forward if he has the energy, passion and the enjoyment to do it. That's again the key, Dravid said. It's really going to come down to a lot of these players actually sitting back themselves, once the emotion has gone back, and calmly reassessing where they're at, and their roads to the future and the joy and enthusiasm they have to take Indian cricket forward. If Dhoni has it, I believe he is the right man to do it but that's really up to him to decide, he said. [caption id=attachment_561473 align=alignleft width=380 The clamour for Mahendra Singh Dhon
strongNagpur: /strongIndia skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni today said that pacer James Anderson's ability to reverse swing the ball in his second and third spells played a crucial role in England's historic 2-1 Test series win here after a gap of 28 years. England sealed the series after the fourth and final Test ended in a draw at the VCA stadium in Jamtha. I felt Anderson bowled well throughout the series on wickets where there was not much help for the fast bowlers. That was very crucial, said Dhoni after the match. He was at the batsmen all the time, specially the second and third spells of his where the ball had started to reverse and still was slightly on the harder side. He made the most out of that spell and kept the batsmen guessing. I think the major difference between the two sides was James Anderson who bowled very well, he added. [caption id=attachment_560688 align=alignleft width=380 strongNagpur: /strongIndia skipper
Under Mahendra Singh Dhoni, India would not have experienced a href=http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/current/match/63920.htmlKolkata 2001/a. We would not have seen VVS Laxman's 281 or Rahul Dravid's 180 or Harbhajan Singh's 6-73 in the fourth innings. We would not have seen an against-the-odds victory. Under him, we would have seen a dull drab draw if we were lucky or deeply humiliating defeat if we were not, because with Dhoni it's always safety first; it's always a 'let's not lose the Test and then think of victory' approach. Mahendra Singh Dhoni believes in 'his' cause. And his cause dictates that India should not lose a Test. He believes that he has earned the right to call the shots; he believes he is a good enough judge of the position of the game or the calibre of his players; he believes he knows his limits; he believes the Test is dead and he doesn't believe in miracles. But one can't help but believe that he's got his approach all wrong. It is a defensive approach and it is not an approach that a young team needs. The Indian team needs a leader like Tiger Pataudi, it needs a leader like Sourav Ganguly - it needs leaders who don't mind losing in their quest for victory. [caption id=attachment_559979 align=alignleft width=380 Under Mahendra Singh Dhoni, India w
Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who has been criticised by some former Indian cricketers about his demand for rank turners, Tuesday took a dig at his critics saying he was not bothered. I don't have a platform like them. I am not on TV assessing neither do I write columns, said Dhoni when asked to comment about former players criticising him. Criticism is a big part and parcel of the game, especially in Indian cricket. You get a lot of support when you perform well. But the same people run you down when you do not do well, he said. [caption id=attachment_544866 align=alignleft width=380 Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni
We've heard Mahendra Singh Dhoni go on and on about the kind of pitch he wants. Before every match, he speaks about the wicket that he believes India must get and the curator must give. He speaks about turn. He speaks about how he wants his spinners to make England wince. He, sometimes, even speaks about the opposition - even though he is more likely to say that they are a team that believes in the 'process'... a term that was introduced to the Indian team by Greg Chappell. Nobody else in the Indian team, thankfully so, felt the need to air their thoughts on the matter - they were all distracted by the Sachin Tendulkar debate. Then, in between, he gets embroiled in a fight with the curator of the Eden Gardens pitch, who in turn calls Dhoni 'immoral.' Brilliant. This is just the kind of build-up India need before a vital Test, right? And through all this - you can't help but wonder why Dhoni is freaking out so much? [caption id=attachment_543314 align=alignleft width=380 We've heard Mahendra Singh Dhoni go
Jalandhar: Mahendra Singh Dhoni might have drawn flak for India's poor performance against England in the second Test at Mumbai, but Harbhajan Singh today came out in support of his skipper, saying one should not judge him on the basis of just one bad performance. The off-spinner, who was part of the playing eleven at Wankhede Stadium, said one should not forget Dhoni's contribution in making India the world champions. Winning and losing is a part of the game and players and captain like Dhoni, should not be criticised for just losing a single game, Harbhajan said. [caption id=attachment_539015 align=alignleft width=380 Jalandhar: Mahendra Singh Dhoni mig
strongAhmedabad:/strong Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni today credited the bowlers for his team's nine-wicket victory over England in the opening Test here, saying that the spinners put in a lot of hard work on a wicket that did not offer much turn. After India scored 521-8 declared in the first innings, it was the bowlers, especially the spinners, who set the stage for the team as they dismissed the English team twice. There was something in the wicket to start with but as the game progressed there was low bounce but not much turn. It was hard work for the spinners. They bowled 70-80 overs, even fast bowlers bowled overs 40 overs. So it was a fantastic effort from them, Dhoni said. Even if you misjudged the flight you had time to adjust and not much carried to the slips. So it was important to bowl at the right areas and was also important not to give many runs. Ojha bowled a tight line and took extra responsibility. [caption id=attachment_527942 align=alignleft width=380 strongAhmedabad:/strong Indian skip