MS Dhoni ovetakes Sourav Ganguly
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Mahendra Singh Dhoni has overtaken Sourav Ganguly with most consecutive World Cup match victories as India captain. India's eight-wicket win against Ireland in Hamilton on Tuesday, was Dhoni's ninth as captain. The winning streak started against the West Indies in the 2011 World Cup that India won at home. (Match Report | Scorecard )
Australia's Ricky Ponting holds the record for the most consecutive World Cup match wins as captain with 24. Dhoni and Clive Lloyd, who led West Indies to victory in the first two editions in 1975 and 1979, have nine apiece. Ganguly had eight.
Dhoni chose to underplay this personal feat and like a talismanic leader, put team before self. "It's not about milestones. It about India winning and we want to take this forward. That's the motivation for us," Dhoni said in a post-match chat on TV. Tuesday's emphatic victory was India's fifth in-a-row and guarantees India the top spot in Pool B. (India Have '99%' Chance to Retain the World Cup )
With every Indian win in this World Cup, Dhoni's burgeoning cap keeps adding one feather after another. Dhoni has the most wins (12) by an Indian captain in World Cups. He has overtaken 1983 World Cup-winning skipper Kapil Dev (11) and Mohammed Azharuddin (10). Ganguly has nine.
Dhoni remains a team player despite owning almost every glorious record as skipper. He lauded his 2011 teammates and said the "right mix of youth and experience" helped India grow as a team.
A captain's role is not defined by statistics. Ponting may have some startling figures, but may not be Australia's best captain. Dhoni's reputation as a ODI captain is perhaps unquestionable. He is often compared to Ganguly but when the Prince of Kolkata, a tough critic of the game and extremely proud of his own achievements, is full of praise of Dhoni, there can be little doubt.
On March 6, Dhoni overtook Ganguly for most overseas ODI wins as a captain. Against West Indies in Perth, Dhoni struck a match-winning 45 not out in a tense low-scoring match. It was India's fourth win on-the-trot in World Cup 2015 and that helped Dhoni record his 59th ODI victory away from home as captain, beating Ganguly's record of 58 wins in 110 matches.
"His record is very good in the shorter format of the games and in world tournaments. He has really done well for himself and India," Ganguly praised Dhoni.
There is still a lot of cricket in this World Cup and Dhoni seems to be peaking at the right time. He has been active as a captain from behind the wickets and every single move has paid off so far. Dhoni has truly been the man with the Midas touch.
Touch wood!
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