Dhoni spells out roles for each player, reveals Raina

Mahendra Singh Dhoni conveys the impression that he cannot be affected by criticism, valid or otherwise, or by baseless talk of new Test captain Virat Kohli's proximity to team director Ravi Shastri causing him discomfort. The Indian skipper will stay focussed on giving his best and inspiring his team to do its best at the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015.

Suresh Raina let slip in an interview with bcci.tv that Dhoni talked to each player about his roles and responsibilities. "We had a

very good meeting with MS where he spoke to each and every player. It was a masterstroke to (define and) make us understand our roles. The rest of the management gave us pointers and it was a good touch to our daily regime," he said.

On Sunday, after India clinched a victory over Pakistan, Dhoni himself drew attention to the high morale of the team despite unhappy results on the tour of Australia. "The job of the leader, from a management perspective, is to keep the morale high. The dressing-room atmosphere is crucial because if the morale is down, it becomes more difficult to come back," he said.

One of the ways he ensured the negative impact of the Test series and the tri-series would not cast a shadow on the team in the World Cup was to work towards seeing the mega event as a 'fresh start'. "We managed that really well," he said about the decision to divide the tour into two parts one including the Tests and the tri-series while the other dealt with the World Cup.

The short break that the players had between the tri-series and the World Cup came in handy as the team management let them do their things. Besides, the squad is aware that the arrival of hordes of Indian fans to change the atmosphere at the grounds and that it could draw from such rich support.

"It is important to keep leaving behind what has happened but not repeat the mistakes. Or else, the pressure will keep growing and will affect the performance. If we were to carry the burden of the defeats from the first Test through the tri-series, I would have been driven under the table," he said. "We have focussed on taking our learnings and the positives."

Steve Waugh wrote in his masterpiece, Out of My Comfort Zone, "Captaincy is about empowerment, about making the players responsible for their actions and, in turn, accountable. It is about treating every one equally but differently by recognising that there are varied characters who need to express their flair and inside the ultimate team vision."

Indeed, there is a lot more to captaincy than what is seen on the field from the toss to the final delivery. And Dhoni has used all opportunities to advertise his leadership qualities, including having to assess his inconsistent bowlers on a daily basis. "What we have to do is to see everyday who is bowling well. We have to improvise and use them in the best possible manner," he said.

It is early days yet in the World Cup, but on the evidence of the opening game and his two interactions with the media over the past weekend, it can be said that Dhoni has enjoyed power and his influence as advisor, psychologist and mentor to go about doing things his way.