MS Dhoni became the captain of the Indian cricket team at a relatively young age of 26, being entrusted with the role over seniors like Yuvraj Singh , Virender Sehwag or Harbhajan Singh. The move ultimately paid dividends as Dhoni led India to three ICC trophies, winning the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007, the 50-over World Cup at home in 2011, and the Champions Trophy in 2013. Over the years, there have been several reports and rumours that the move led to possible friction within the players. However, legendary Indian spinner Harbhajan has categorically denied there being any friction or dissatisfaction over Dhoni becoming the captain.
We understood the captain wasn’t everything, and all 11 players had to do well for Dhoni to look good as captain. Harbhajan, who played 103 Tests, 236 ODIs and 28 T20Is, revealed that Dhoni knew how to get the best out of everyone. Harbhajan was a crucial cog of the Indian team that won the T20 World Cup in 2007 and the 50-over World Cup in 2011.
Dhoni had a set team of experienced players who had played together for seven or eight years,” Harbhajan said, in an interview with Prakhar Gupta . Harbhajan explained why the senior players were not affected despite a much younger player being made captain of the team over them. “Dada ( Sourav Ganguly ) brought in the players and made the team… the likes of myself, Zaheer Khan , Yuvraj Singh, Virender Sehwag. “We never had an issue with Dhoni becoming the captain despite being so young. For Dhoni to be successful, it had to be a combined effort,” he stated. “Dhoni’s best quality is that he never imposed himself on the individuals by telling them what to do. He knew that many of us had played for several years and were aware of what needed to be done in different situations. Dhoni only focused on how to get the best out of the players, which he was exceptional at,” Harbhajan elaborated.
