Dhoni and his mastery of the No. 6 slot

It's remarkable how different the Indian team looks when the format of the game changes from Tests to one-day internationals. The fielding becomes much sharper, the bowling more controlled and penetrative (witness the change in Vinay Kumar), the batting more authoritative, and the overall swagger and confidence of the team moves up a few notches. One of the most noticeable differences is the kind of influence the captain exerts on the game. In Tests, Dhoni's tactics seem reactive, and as importantly, his batting lacks any sort of assurance. In ODIs, he undergoes a remarkable transformation, especially with his batting: his struggle against quick bowling is replaced a quiet confidence, an arrogance almost, that he can get the job done no matter how stiff the target.

That was in evidence twice over the last week during the triangular CB Series: first with an unbeaten 44 that delivered a win against Australia, and then 58 not out in the tie against Sri Lanka. There have been question marks about his tendency to leave the charge till the very end, but given his success rate, it's difficult to argue with his methods: in his last 14 ODI innings he has remained not out nine times, and he averages 134.80 at a strike rate of 99.41, with seven fifties.

All but two of those 14 innings came from the pivotal No. 6 slot, a position that is a difficult one in ODIs, but one where Dhoni has done really well. His overall stats at that position - average of 43.28 at a strike rate of 82.06 - aren't quite as good as his career numbers (average 51.41 at a strike rate of 88.32), but that just illustrates how tough it is to bat at No. 6. In ODI history, only two batsmen - Michael Bevan and Mark Boucher - have scored more runs at that position, and Bevan is the only one with a significantly higher average.

A striking aspect of Dhoni's batting in ODIs in general, and at the No. 6 position in particular, is the confidence he has in his ability. In Tests he is clearly a better batsman in home conditions, where the ball doesn't bounce or seam a great deal, but in ODIs he handles all sorts of conditions pretty well. His ODI average at home is slightly higher (55.39 at home, 49.83 away, and 47.28 at neutral venues), but the difference is nowhere near as much as it is in Tests (43 at home, 33.48 away).

At No. 6, the difference in his ODI numbers is even smaller - an average of 44.73 at home, and 42.38 away and at neutral venues. He also has excellent numbers at this position in Australia - 398 runs in ten innings at 79.60 - and England - 283 runs at 47.16. Sri Lanka is the only country where he has struggled, scoring 303 runs at 27.54. (Click here for Dhoni's ODI career summary at No. 6.)

Dhoni has played more often at No. 6 in his ODI career than at any other position: out of his 179 innings, 71 have been played at that slot (compared with 45 at No. 5 and 26 at No. 7). His presence there has hugely lifted India's stats for that slot. In the seven years that Dhoni has been around (2005 onwards), the overall average for India's No. 6 batsmen is almost 39, at a strike rate of more than 85.

Out of India's 187 innings at that slot since the beginning of 2005, Dhoni has played 71, with Suresh Raina contributing another 49; no other batsman has more than 12.

During the period between 2000 and 2004, India's batting average at No. 6 was 28.71, and Yuvraj Singh was the only batsman who achieved a fair degree of success there, averaging 36.72 in 46 innings. Most of the others struggled: Robin Singh, for example, averaged 22.06 in 17 innings, while Mohammad Kaif played 15 innings at No. 6 at an average of 14. (Click here for the full list.)

Thanks largely to Dhoni, India's No. 6 stats are among the best for all teams over the last seven years. Only Australia - led by the two Michaels, Clarke and Hussey - have a marginally higher average and scoring rate.

On the other hand, the third team in the ongoing CB Series in Australia, Sri Lanka, have found this position a difficult one to fill adequately over the last seven years - their average of 25.89 is among the lowest. Tillakaratne Dilshan occupied that slot consistently between 2005 and 2008, but he averaged only 28. More recently, Angelo Mathews has shown promise, but he needs to improve on his consistency: he has four half-centuries in 27 innings, but also 14 dismissals for 15 runs or fewer. Sri Lanka wouldn't mind at all if he develops into a Russel Arnold; Arnold averaged almost 45 at No. 6, and is Sri Lanka's second-highest run-getter in that position.

And finally, a look at the batsmen with the highest averages at No. 6 in the last seven years shows Dhoni and Hussey in very good light - they're the only two to play more than 60 innings at that position and maintain 40-plus averages.