Mahendra Singh Dhoni has as many Test hundreds as Anil Kumble

2 minute read

Anil Kumble hit one Test hundred. Mahendra Singh Dhoni has also hit one. It was 148 against Pakistan.

Dhoni should really address that. He’s had a good series with the bat, hitting four fifties, but a hundred or two wouldn’t go amiss.

When Mahendra Dhoni first appeared and started slogging the ball around, we didn’t think much of him. Brilliant, another one-day batting star – cricket’s not short of those.

But then, over time, he revealed himself to be an adept batsman, a keen competitor and above all a man who doesn’t flounce about overreacting about everything; bursting into tears or losing his temper at the drop of a hat/catch.

On the contrary, he seems a fantastically straightforward sort of guy. If he thinks something needs doing, he’ll tell someone to do it, whoever they are. Or maybe he’ll do it himself. Whichever it is, you don’t question him, because he’s so reasonable and pragmatic, you just know he’s acting for the right reasons. He always seems to play the match situation. That single hundred speaks of necessary quick fifties more than it speaks of missed opportunities.

So how did Mahendra Dhoni affect this transformation from across-the-line wild child to respected, admired captain and role model?

He cut his hair. Where once his locks roamed around wildly, as if he were some sort of cricketing medusa, now he has a good, solid, sensible haircut.

It’s the kind of haircut you’d take financial advice off. It’s the kind of haircut that consults the instructions and takes its time making sure it does the job properly. It’s the kind of haircut that’s heard about brewing tea in a mug rather than a pre-warmed pot, but thought, ‘why risk it?’