The cricketing giants of the sub continent clash on 02 Apr at Wankhede Stadium Mumbai for the WC trophy. More than the teams, it will be the test of strategies, planning, leadership skills and apt handling of the respective teams by the two cricketing stalwarts.
Both are outstanding wicket keepers, well experienced campaigners, and boast of good records behind them. Yes , i am talking about M.Dhoni and K. Sangakkara. Both have successfully lead their sides in the tournament.
Just for the sake of f interest, let us have a look at their ODI records till date.
| Matches | Innings | Not Out | Runs | Highest Score | Average | 100 | 50 | Strike Rate | |
| MS Dhoni | 182 | 163 | 9 | 5904 | 183 | 48.79 | 7 | 37 | 87.43 |
| Sangakkara | 290 | 271 | 31 | 9116 | 138 | 37.98 | 11 | 61 | 75.20 |
Well, the above statistics amply prove the greatness of both the wicket keeper captains.
Now,I shall compare the individual performances in this WC and styles of captaincy of these classic wicket keepers. I shall not highlight or talk about the previous records and laurels which both might have set or achieved.
Dhoni-
- Made his debut against Bangladesh in 2004/5. Has so far scored 150 runs only in this WC which means that he has had a horrible time with the bat.
- He is a gentleman, remains cool and is knowledgeable about the game. Takes calculated risks. Hardly vocal, he is a quiet strategist and a game planner who never gets tense.
- He thinks positive, is highly confident about himself and remains aggressive on the field.
- He is an outstanding keeper who is quick and alert behind stumps.
- However, during this WC, i noticed that he was slightly under confident in all matches and looked perturbed because of his inconsistency with the bat. This failure has made a dent into his confidence which will be tested in the finals.
- I also, question his leadership qualities in the wake of his poor form.
- The captain must lead from the front and that can only happen if he sets an example for others to emulate. On this score, Dhoni has failed.
- He is lucky to survive because he is floating on a high wave of class batsmen in the team who have been constantly scoring runs and steering India out of trouble.
- His selection of few players and use of bowlers in the matches has already come under criticism.
Sangakkara
- Made his debut against Pakistan in Jul 2000. Has been the highest scorer in this WC with 467 runs.
- An extraordinary cricketer and experienced stylish opening batsman who is well known for his confidence, consistency and outstanding performance in almost every match. An astute planner and a quick learner, he is a treat to watch when in form.
- He is also a thorough gentleman, cool, smiling customer who gets along with his mates very well.
- Keeping wickets for bowlers like Malinga, Murli and Mendis amply proves his abilities as one of the best wicket keepers as on date.
- Very agile, he is a pro active captain than a reactive one. He is very vocal on field and always lauds good efforts of each player which results in high motivation level of the team.
- He controls his players very well from behind the stumps.
- He never gives up and earns a lot of respect by way of performance and setting personal examples. Remains cool in pressure situations.
- In this tournament, he has always lead from the front. Sri Lanka beat all the teams in this WC (less New Zealand), by very big margins. He was responsible for setting the pace for such big wins.
My Assessment
I find Sangakkara as an electrifying captain who has the gifted ability to motivate his players. By setting personal examples by way of performance, he draws the willing contribution of his team mates which is the single most factor needed in a well balanced out fit.
On the contrary,Dhoni has been struggling with his form,has failed to set personal examples and therefore, may find it difficult to motivate his men to do their best.
My Verdict
Sangakkara’s sharp thinking and abundant abilities as a captain may take away the match from India.
