Dhoni ready for a new role

For the clear-thinking MS Dhoni, inverse logic works like a charm. With great responsibility comes great power not burden, as an incredible showing with the bat, effective bowling changes and a Man of the Match award in his second Test as captain showed.

A telling contribution in a memorable victory and a combination of luck and pluck means India’s Test captaincy will be in secure hands after the departure of Anil Kumble.

Not that anyone doubted Dhoni’s capabilities as leader, his instinctive knack for the unexpected or his ability to read match situations and think on his feet.

That he got to know he would be leading only on the morning of the game wasn’t a problem either.

The biggest gain from the second Test for Kumble’s heir-apparent has been the form with the bat. Purely as a batsman, Dhoni tried to show he has the goods to belong at the Test level. On a flat pitch, he succeeded by reverting to his natural, attacking approach in both innings.

In Bangalore, Dhoni had gone into a shell, as he often has in the past. He appeared in two minds in the longer format, and the added responsibility of shoring up the lower middle order curbed his attacking instinct even in One-dayers and T20. He would often only push the ball around and scamper between the wickets. There were fears he was losing his capability to hammer an opposition into submission even as his wicket-keeping improved in spades.

In Mohali, he pulled that one quality out of cold storage to embarrass Australia, even as Ponting’s fields set the bait, goading him on. Hooking and pulling with frenzy got Dhoni to 92 as the first-innings total grew imposing. In the second, he simply backed himself to again go for the shots as India stretched the lead.

"In-between, I was not playing my natural game. When it comes to Test cricket, it’s not acceptable in India that you go for a big shot and get out, so you need to think twice," he said, "Here it was a perfect scenario and a placid track. I should stick to this form of batting because I know that is my strength. It’s not just about hitting, it’s the approach. It can backfire at times but look at Viru (Sehwag), that is the way he plays."

Right now, though, it seems Dhoni can hardly put a foot wrong. There seems to be a fresh zeal in the side every time he comes out to lead.

There were glimpses in Bangalore, when an attacking approach drew praise from pundits.

The big question now is not Dhoni, but Anil Kumble. Can India sustain the momentum under the regular skipper if, as expected, he returns from injury in the next Test? Asking Kumble to move aside immediately, in the middle of a series - as former Australian skipper Ian Chappell has suggested - is an option which has been rejected by the selectors and rightly so.

Ricky Ponting too was full of praise when bombared with questions about Dhoni’s captaincy, before putting in a timely reminder: "Is this MS Dhoni’s team? This is Anil Kumble’s team, isn’t it? Well, we’ll see in the next Test."