The Ex-factor
Siddhartha Vaidyanathan
25-Feb-2013
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Mahendra Singh Dhoni took charge of a team with three former captains, Mohammad Azharuddin, India's former captain, had more, writes Sandeep Dwivedi in Indian Express:
To understand the team mechanics and dressing room atmosphere of the present team, one spoke to several coaches and players who were part of the last significant power shift in Indian cricket — the men who saw closely the new-captain-on-the-block Azhar’s Daddy’s Army. While there was a consensus that Dhoni isn’t as naive as Azhar, at the same they all agreed that it isn’t easy for a captain to keep the flock together and assert himself when those around him include commoners who were kings once.
In the same newspaper former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif, who led a team of five former skippers, tells Dhoni to take bold decisions.
Meanwhile Peter Roebuck, writing in the Natal Witness, compares India's on-field attitude to South Africa's.
Siddhartha Vaidyanathan is a former assistant editor at Cricinfo