The inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007 was a historic tournament for Indian cricket.
Not only did we win the tournament, we also found a captain who would go on to change the fortunes of a team which was facing several retirements.
The 26-year-old MS Dhoni was one of the newest members in the team and naturally, his appointment to the top spot confused everyone.
If you’ve also wondered what brought forth this decision, here’s the entire story.
The T20 World Cup was approaching and India did not have a captain who could lead the team. Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid had all ruled themselves out of contention and the obvious choices seemed to be Yuvraj Singh and Virender Sehwag.
And while the two of them were proven performers for India, their ability to lead the team was not a strongpoint. So instead of doing the obvious, the Indian selectors decided to go with MS Dhoni.
When asked about why he thinks he was chosen as captain, Dhoni told The Print: “Maybe it was the honesty that I had, and my ability to read the game.”
We wholeheartedly agree. These are two of Dhoni’s many traits that have helped him lead the team up the stairway of success.
“Reading the game is very important, and even though I was one of the youngest in the team at that point of time, when asked about my views by a senior player, I was not afraid or hesitant to share my feelings about the game”, added Dhoni.
Another reason for his appointment is said to be Sachin Tendulkar’s recommendation. Their on-field conversations convinced Tendulkar that MS had it in him to lead the side despite being young and inexperienced.
“Dhoni is the best captain I have played under,” Sachin was once quoted as saying.