For a man who made critics cringe at his technique, one who famously claimed to have built his biceps on a litre of milk a day and most astonishingly was a goalkeeper-turned-wicketkeeper that provoked many experts to write him off, he now sits on a pedestal where no international cricket captain has ever been.
It cannot be luck alone or the Number 7 factor that Mahendra Singh Dhoni has so distinctively worn on his sleeve. He is not a born genius either. To explain the phenomenon is not the easiest task in the world. The extent of Dhoni's achievements has now gone beyond what even a top cricketer today can aspire for.
He's won the World Twenty20, taken India to the top of the world Test and ODI rankings, has pocketed the World Cup - a second one for India - and is now bringing home the Champions Trophy. It makes him, in terms of success, modern-day cricket's greatest captain. 'Captain Cool' is the cliched phrase we've used for Dhoni. The Lucky One, say some. Those digging deeper see the art of captaincy coming naturally to him. But as he keeps winning more with each passing year, we all scramble for words to describe his success.
Sunday, when he lifted the trophy and handed it over to his jubilant teammates, there was a brief moment when he allowed his emotions to get the better of him. Until then, most haven't seen Dhoni pumping fists in the air, bellowing in the thrill or prancing to Freddie Mercury. But this time he didn't mind when Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and the bunch belted 'We are the Champions'. If he isn't one right now, who is?
In his own words, winning the 2013 Champions Trophy has had a similar effect on him as did the 2007 World Twenty20. Both, says Dhoni, were achieved by a team of young boys-turning-men while the 2011 victory came riding on a slew of performances from cricketers with greater experience. For him though, one was never sweeter than the other.
But the Champions Trophy may be an exception. It's because of where he was coming from — the spate of controversies involving his IPL franchise and his own conflict-of-interest row, the pressure on his team to stay away from the preying eyes of the media. Like a true leader, Dhoni marshaled his bunch and gave them his trust and support. This is something his teammates have glowingly spoken about.
India batted first in the final and scored a low 129 in 20 overs. Dhoni thought it was a little harsh on his team that England's target wasn't revised because of the rain interruptions during his team's innings. But before India walked out to field, he admitted that he blurted out a quick pep-talk.
"This is a Twenty20 and that's how we're going to play it," he told them. His team, like inspired army-men obeying their general, heard it well. England were cruising in chase and the wire had only turned hotter. The crowd was falling silent. Wickets had stopped coming. Shoulders had begun to slouch. All you could see Dhoni doing was shift the widish third-man to deep mid-wicket, remove the gully and bring in a fielder at point. Remove the cover, add an extra-cover. He was in his own zone. And the match turned.
Like he's done over the years, in tune with his own instincts, not reacting to a soul but his own, he won another battle.
5 factors that helped India's win...
India has its own Champions Trophy now, a title that was missing in what is today a very distinguished cupboard. A lot of effort went into achieving this win over the last 23 days. Here are the key factors that made it happen...
MS Dhoni's captaincy
Given the controversies surrounding Indian cricket, the skipper had to plug his ears before going to work. There was a very young team to handle, perhaps one that will now prepare for the 2015 World Cup. He earned their trust and respect, inspired them with not just pep-talk but his own commitment to the cause and marshalled his resources to the requirement of the demanding English conditions where other teams couldn't.
Dhawan and Jadeja: the stars
A talented opener who hadn't quite made it in 10 years and an all-rounder of limited talent who raised eyebrows when he made the Indian team - Shikhar Dhawan and Ravindra Jadeja - are now the toast of an entire nation. Dhoni trusted their abilities and gave them the space and they did not disappoint him.
Strategizing for new rules
It was India's first assignment overseas after the new ODI rules were implemented: The powerplays now demanded that only four players be outside the 30-yard circle, two new balls were used from each end and two bouncers per over were applicable. Dhoni and his team designed a framework. Wickets were saved early on in the innings to surge scoring rates post the 35th over, spinners relied more on their stock delivery to keep the economy rates low, Umesh Yadav whipped up quality pace, Ishant Sharma handled the old ball well and Bhuvneshwar relied on the swing available. Dhoni marshalled his resources to success.
The weather, oh so dull!
Coming from tropical regions in India, it was fascinating to see the young Indian team adapt so well to the fickle weather.
The best-ever fielding unit?
India's fielding in the Champions Trophy will be spoken about in great detail for a long time. Like a pack of wolves hunting prey, they were on the ball every time it came off the bat. It was the biggest highlight of India's achievements.
DHONI: CAPTAIN WITH THE MIDAS TOUCH
* India have reached the pinnacle in Tests and ODIs under Dhoni's leadership. Dhoni has led India to the top prize in all formats — Tests for 18 months commencing December 2009, World Cup 2011 and the World T20 on his captaincy debut in 2007.
* Dhoni has not only won the World Cup as well as the ICC World Twenty20, he has been also proved to be a critical member in India's triumph. Dhoni has the rare distinction of being the only Indian captain to have won both the ICC World Cups and the Champions Trophy.
* Dhoni has also won the Commonwealth Bank series in Australia in 2007-08, defeating Australia 2-0.
* He also has under his belt the Asia Cup, defeating Sri Lanka by 81 runs in Dambulla on June 24, 2010.
* Won the Compaq Cup defeating Sri Lanka by 46 runs in Colombo (RPS) on September 14, 2009.
* His success percentage of 83.33 (six wins, one loss and a no-result game out of nine played) is the highest among the captains in the ICC Champions Trophy.
* No other Indian captain enjoys 50% success rate in all three formats.
* He has averaged 51.76 in a winning cause in Tests — his tally being 1967 runs in 33 Tests, including four hundreds and twelve fifties.
* Dhoni averages 73.09 in winning causes in ODIs — his tally being 4605 runs in 128 ODIs, including six hundreds and 30 fifties. Among captains with 1000 runs or more in a winning cause, his average is the best.
| Played | Won | Lost | Tied/NR/Draw | Winning % | |
| ODIs | 140 | 82 | 47 | 11 | 63.5 |
| T20Is | 41 | 20 | 19 | 2 | 51.25 |
| Tests | 47 | 24 | 12 | 11 | 51.06 |
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