IPL 2008: Best Bowler

Rajasthan Royals won the first edition of Indian Premier League (IPL 2008). It is clearly reflected in the leading wicket-takers list of IPL 2008. Sohail Tanvir of Rajasthan Royals leads the bowlers list followed by Shane Warne, Rajasthan Royals captain-cum-coach, and Sree Santh from Kings XI Punjab. Shane Watson with 17 wickets is not far behind in the list of leading wicket-takers.

Below is the list of the top five bowlers in IPL 2008, in terms of number of wickets captured:

1. 22 wickets: Sohail Tanvir (Rajasthan Royals)

2. 19 wickets: Shane Warne (Rajasthan Royals) & Sree Santh (Kings XI Punjab)

3. 17 wickets: Shane Watson (Rajasthan Royals), Piyush Chawla (Kings XI Punjab), Albie Morkel (Chennai Super Kings) & Manpreet Gony (Chennai Super Kings)

4. 16 wickets: Yo Mahesh (Delhi Daredevils)

5. 15 wickets: Farveez Maharoof (Delhi Daredevils), Irfan Pathan (Kings XI Punjab) & RP Singh (Deccan Chargers)

Sohail Tanvir has played only in 11 matches to secure the top spot while the second placed Shane Warne and Sree Santh took 15 matches for his 19 wickets.

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Dhoni and Captaincy, Made For Each Other

Captaincy is not all about success. Captaincy is not all about technical skills. Captaincy is not all about knowledge. Yes, you need all of those in a certain mix. But, more importantly, leadership and man management takes precedence.

Good leaders have become great captains. On the contrary, great players have failed to be good captains. Sachin Tendulkar is one glaring example. Great captains lead by example, take criticism in stride and protect their team when needed. Dhoni has taken the right step in the captaincy mode. If success is the yardstick, then there is enough proof of his leadership skills; ICC Twenty20 World cup, CB series triumph in Australia and his three-out-of-three test match wins against South Africa and Australia. But, I am not going to discuss about that here. I am going to highlight simple gestures from Dhoni that would have touched many hearts.

#1: Fitting Farewell to Sourav Ganguly
During the final moments of the Nagpur test against Australia, Dhoni invited Ganguly to take over the captaincy for some time. It was an extraordinary gesture from Mahendra Singh Dhoni. With Ganguly playing his final test match, how proud he would have felt. Can any one else give a better farewell to a wonderful player and a revolutionary captain himself?

#2: Apt Reward for an Achiever
Another moment that caught my eyes happened just after India’s victory in the second test match against Australia. India has just completed a resounding win against the World Champions. It is a great moment of achievement for the team as they played absolutely attacking cricket throughout the match. Everybody rushed to grab a stump as a souvenir. Ganguly, a centurion in the first innings and playing his last test series, could not get one for himself. Dhoni gave Ganguly the stump he had taken for himself.

#3: Recognize Budding Talents
One more significant moment came during the presentation ceremony of Commonwealth Bank Series 2008. India has just outplayed Australia in the finals and defeated them 2-0 in the best of three finals. Dhoni invited Piyush Chawla, the youngest in the Indian team, to hold the trophy when the team assembled on the podium to pose with the CB Series trophy. How proud Chawla would have been?

It is very hard to believe that Dhoni made his debut just less than four years ago. These moments might be forgotten down the years. But, Sourav Ganguly and Piyush Chawla will remember those precious little moments for ages. After all, captaincy is not all about hogging the limelight yourself. It seems Dhoni has understood that clearly. Well done Dhoni.

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