“Story of a cool headed man.. With Gloves in the hands
and a massive bat….”
By
Sayball Kar
Furquan Khan
Reema Singh
Preeti Patil
Jitendra K Nanda
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INTRODUCTION
• Name: Mahendra Singh Dhoni
• Born on July 7, 1981, Ranchi,
Bihar (Now Jharkhand)
• Major Teams: India, Asia XI Bihar,
Chennai Super Kings, Raising Pune
Super Giants
• Also known as Mahi, MSD
• Playing role: Wicketkeeper and
batsman
• Batting Style: Right hand bat
• Indian Cricket Team Captain

A small town boy from
Ranchi , Jharkhand
made his way to the
biggest stage of
Cricket.

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MS Dhoni’s Captaincy Statistics
5

Rational Goal
Productivity,
Profit
MS Dhoni is the only Captain to win all three limited-overs ICC titles: the ODI World cup, the
Champions trophy and the T20 World Cup. Dhoni took over Captaincy of T20 team in 2007 ahead
of the T20 tournament, leading a completely raw team and had a world ranking stalwarts in his
2011 ODI triumph. Indian teams performance/productivity shined under Dhoni’s Captaincy.
M S Dhoni was a great student of the game and read the game situations very well. He knew and understood both, opposing and his team
mates patterns of performance and leveraged this information during the game. Whereby he would effectively use all his resources in
ensuring team India’s victory even under highly pressured situations/games. He would constantly change his batting order and bowling
combinations and accordingly direct his team based on the situation at hand and used these resources to effectively win crucial
moments in a game. Team India bagged many wins under his clear and calculated directions.
During the Word Cup 2011 finals against Sri Lanka, Murlidharan was on a roll with India having to chase down a difficult target at a stiff run
rate. It was important that team India does not loose any further wickets – this was the objective defined by MS Dhoni and in response he
decided to promote himself ahead of Yuvraj Singh who was a suspect against top quality off-spin bowling of Murlidharan. Dhoni realized
that it is important to protect Yuvraj Singh who could be useful in the run chase later on and decided to playout Murlidharan’s overs
himself as he had the requisite skill and confidence. He successfully played through the critical overs and reduced the risk, improving
India’s chances to win. As an end result, Dhoni saw India through a historic victory with Yuvraj Singh, giving him ample support.
Clear directions
leads to
productive
outcomes
Goal
clarification,
Rational analysis,
Action taking
Rational
economic
Director and
producer
A great example of Dhoni’s rational economic style is a test match where Ian Bell of team England was batting and on the last ball before
the lunch hit the ball towards the boundary. Thinking the ball had hit the boundary, Ian Bell started walking towards the pavilion. Whereas
the ball was stopped by the fielder just before the boundary and thrown towards Dhoni who was the wicket keeper and the captain of
Indian team. The empire declared Ian Bell out before the lunch. However, post lunch when the teams started approaching the field, the
audience gave a loud applause. Ian Bell was seen walking out towards the pitch since Dhoni reached out to the empire saying they take
back their appeal for the wicket considering the situation.
MS Dhoni has never taken credit for team’s victory. He was never seen boasting about himself and always spoke about team effort,
inflicting confidence within team, inspiring them and making them feel secure. In many matches, Dhoni’s performance lead to team
victory and he has been amongst the top 10 batsmen in ODIs for over 8 years. Dhoni always lead by example. His talent management
skills helped him take decisions that utilized every team member’s strengths which brought out the best performance. He provided
opportunity to every team member to prove themselves and contribute to the best of their abilities.
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Internal Process
Stability,
continuity
MS Dhoni as a leader was clear that success is something that is cultivated over time.During
one of his interviews, he mentioned: “ In today’s world, we are so focused on results, we forget
the process. The process is more important than the result, the result is just a by-product of
the process. So, take care of the process, results will follow”
Routinization
leads to stability
Defining
responsibility,
measurement,
documentation
Hierarchical
Monitor &
coordinator
He was very particular about team selection & fitness; his selection combination was based on those player who are physically fit even
though if they are not in a peak of their form. He does his home-work about the teams & their players, set the field according to the
situation & the nerves of the player and as a result many number of times he succeed in winning the matches.
Example:- In 2011 WC Final Match, he stepped ahead & came on no.4 position to bat when he saw Murlidharan was bowling that
shows that he is good in stabilizing the process & knows which player will do good in which situation.
As a leader, he understands that success is a daily grind, a daily commitment, that functions around life purpose & to stand out as a
leader in your own decision he takes basis his own created process & habits.
Example:- Rohit Sharma was playing on # 5th position, He analysed the potential of Rohit Sharma & asked him to open the innings &
rest is history.
Dhoni follows Hierarchal approach with Instinct, there are occasions when managers forget the gut factor in decision making when
confronted with data. MS Dhoni has often followed his instinct & on most occasions has been proved right.
Example:- During 2013 Champions Trophy Final against England, while data would have dictated to choose Umesh Yadav to bowl one
More over, but he chose Ishant Sharma for the crucial over which turned the match for India.
Everyone knows that Dhoni kept his team meetings short, both when he was with CSK and when he was with Team India. However, what
is most important is that as a leader, he always stood by his players.
Never ever has any of the players, even those who were senior to him like “The king of Kolkata, Sourav Ganguly,” “The God of Cricket,
Sachin Tendulkar,” “The wall, Rahul Dravid,” or “The Jumbo, Anil Kumble” ever had any issues with Dhoni 7

Human Relations
Commitment,
cohesion, morale
Involvement
results in
commitment
Participation,
conflict resolution,
consensus building
Team oriented
Monitor &
facilitator
M S Dhoni has always been hands on, highly committed to cricket and his team, playing all
three-formats of cricket (ODI, Test and T20). He batted in many orders, did wicket-keeping and
rolled his sleeves whenever required by team. His versatility and adaptability have been the
key for long term success of the Indian Cricket team under his Captainship.
Complete involvement of a leader results in commitment and Dhoni didn’t rush through making change in team composition and culture
instead he first established his credibility and over time influenced other team members to give more than their best for the team to win.
E.g. Former England captain Mike Brearley once wrote:- “Dhoni is a terrific batsman, who always seems calm and confident that helps
to captain the team. He plays the game in excellent spirit and has clearly been respected by his team. He is very competent and canny
wicketkeeper”
Dhoni’s tact and calm persona made a significant impact on the entire team in tense situations resulting in victories. He stood by team
members and gave individual attention and influenced them in a positive way. One can only lead by example and Dhoni’s journey as a
player and captain is truly inspirational
Dhoni has been true team player and has always made well-thought decisions with the best interest of Indian Cricket in his mind. Dhoni
said that he would not want to be liability to the team by blocking the position of wicket keeping for a promising youngster though Dhoni
was invaluable to the team however he did not hesitate to retire for the best interest of team. E.g: Dhoni’s foresight and evaluations were
commendable. He believed in Virat Kohli’s capabilities and gave him enough time to ease his role as captain in Test Cricket. When Virat
proved himself as a leader, Dhoni handed over complete control to Virat for ODI captain and stepped down. He had no qualms about
playing under Virat’s leadership. This itself proves his “Character”.
Dhoni was a mentor and facilitator. In his book “Think Like A Champion”, he says “The captain must lead by example to gain trust, respect
and support his team. The people I lead carry the expectations of 1.2 billion people. So, I help them by keeping everything as simple as
possible and by creating an atmosphere that will give confidence and motivation to each and everyone to do their best” 8

Open Systems
Adaptability,
external support
Continual adaptation,
lead to innovation
acquiring, maintaining
external resources
Political adaptation,
creative problem
solving & innovation
Innovative &
flexible
Innovator &
broker
M S Dhoni was 100% committed as a Captain throughout his tenure, irrespective of the results.
He ook responsibilities, challenges, felt the heat on and off the ground. Even after his Captaincy,
he played with the same level of commitment. His commitment comes from his confidence and
comfort towards the game. Hence, prior to focusing on results, he focused on delivering quality
efforts and executing them properly, whilst making the right decisions at the right time. Dhoni
facilitated the same level of comfort and confidence for his teammates.
Dhoni often changed the team’s strategy based on how a match was unfolding while keeping the larger goal in sight. As a player, he is
known for his ability to adjust his batting and bowling style based on the opponent’s team. As a captain, he would factor in pitch and
weather conditions and explore multiple player perspectives in high-pressure games. E.g. In the 2011 World Cup final, the team had lost
four key batsmen early on in the match. He then took one of cricketing history’s most impactful decisions by promoting himself to
number five in the line-up, ahead of other established batsmen. He evaluated the situation and made an instinctive decision that
shocked others. It proved to be the winning factor for the Indian team!
Dhoni’s captaining style was of leading from the front and putting himself in the firing line even at the risk of personal failure such as in
the 2011 World Cup final. Dhoni led others by leveraging their strengths and giving them several opportunities to bring their best
forward, even in the face of harsh media criticism. Dhoni stepped back when the team won and stepped forward when they lost!
Dhoni’s unconventional playing calls have marked him as India’s most innovative cricketer. Dhoni can be considered India’s most
innovative and unusual cricketer, on and off the field. Of the superstar triumvirate that stalks the Indian imagination in cricket’s hyper-
modern era, Tendulkar was the Master Accumulator, Kohli the Ultimate Chaser and Dhoni the Supreme Innovator. Whether it’s the
karate-kick manoeuvre to stop batsmen from running the ball down to third man for a quick single, running up to the stumps even as
the bowler delivers the ball for a quick run-out or, indeed, creating stumping chances out of thin air, Dhoni has been exceptionally
inventive as wicketkeeper.
In the 2007 ICC T20 World Cup final, Dhoni used critical thinking to decode the strengths and weaknesses of the opposing team and
made an unusual decision that helped India win the match.
Here’s what happened: a neck-and-neck situation required the opposing team to score 13 runs in the final over. Dhoni chose to bring a
less experienced player to bowl instead of more obvious and experienced choices. He observed that the batsman was having no
problem hitting spinners. So he chose a bowler who would confuse the confident batsman. And it worked! The batsman was caught
out and India won the match!
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Awards
&
Achievements
• Only Captain to have all ICC Trophies
(T20WC-2007, WC-2011, CL-2013) in
his cabinet.
• Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratan Award in
2007/08
• Padma Shri in 2009
• ICC ODI Player of the year 2009
• Doctorate Degree from De Montfort
University of United Kingdom
• Honorary rank of Lieutenant Colonel
from Territorial Army

Leadership lessons to learn
from MS Dhoni
Mahendra Singh Dhoni, popularly known
as Captain Cool is undoubtedly India’s most
successful captain. His journey from a
railway ticket collector to being one of the
greatest captains of all time is impactful.
Modern day businesses can learn few
important lessons from his leadership style.

Being Authentic
Coming from a small town and a humble
background, Dhoni never let his
background interfere with his perseverance
and ambition. He was true to himself and
never followed a suit for any reason. His
unique, long trendy hairstyle at the onset
of his career was a great example of his
authenticity.
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STAYING CALM,
STAYING FOCUSED
Even at the most trying times, Dhoni was always
seen to be composed. By staying calm, he
managed to focus on the problem and led his
team to victories. His behaviour motivated his
teammates to regain their self-belief and
perform their best. These are rare traits that a
good leader must encompass in order to be
successful.

Trusting the ‘Gut’
Leaders often face situations where tough decisions
have to be made and Dhoni never resisted taking any.
Trusting one’s instinct takes courage, knowledge, and
experience. Situational analysis, informed decision,
quick response and faith in the fellow teammates
helped him to take a calculated risk and win major
tournaments. Therefore, true leaders must learn to
rely on their instinct.
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Managing Success
&
Failure
Dhoni had his fair deals of wins & losses. But he never let a
bad day define the destiny of his team. He stood up for his
team and with his team when media and speculators
channelized negativity for their bad performance.
Similarly, at their prime of success and popularity, he never
left the attitude of being humble and modest. Qualities
that even his competitors deeply admire. Under his
leadership, men in blue showed great strength of
character and the importance of hard work while
combating failures and managing success. Business leaders
must treat failures and successes with the same modesty.

Vision
and
Versatility
Multitasking, innovation, and pro-activeness are masterstrokes in business and sports. Dhoni was both
front man and team player. His way of finishing a match was a delight to watch, who can forget his inning
at 2011, ICC World Cup finals at Wankhede? Being a visionary, he groomed many current cricketers to
their best who later served the nation. He knew how to unwind off the field; as he celebrated all the
birthdays and victories of his teammates. Good leaders should know to lead by example by reinventing
themselves with changing times.
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THANK YOU