When, some 15 years ago, a 38-year-old captained his team to the title at the inaugural Indian Premier League (IPL) many thought the cliché was true: this was the greatest player never to have captained his country.
Shane Warne may or may not have thought so, but as captain of that winning Rajasthan Royals team he played a dual role: as tactician and as father confessor. Australia didn't see him as captaincy material, but the club did, and he repaid that faith.
It is a captaincy role that Mahendra Singh Dhoni has played with equal conviction. In his 250th IPL match, the final this week, he continued to be Chennai Super Kings' leading on-field tactician and father confessor. His knowledge of the game matched his knowledge of his players. He knew when to move the square leg fielder to his left just as he knew when to ignore a player or give him a tough look.
When Deepak Chahal dropped danger man Shubman Gill early, Dhoni merely went back to his position behind the stumps, applauding the bowler (and possibly the fielder too for stopping runs).
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