New Delhi, Mar 31: Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni is on the threshold of creating World Cup history but former captain Kapil Dev, who has been there and done that, hopes that he is not judged by the result of just one final.
"I will never doubt Dhoni's credentials as a captain irrespective of the result of World Cup final. Lot of people believe that it's the ultimate result which will count but I believe otherwise," the skipper of India's victorious 1983 team, said at a promotional event today.
"Look at Ricky Ponting. He has won two World Cups and after one bad World up he is out. That's not the way to judge a captain. So I would like that Dhoni shouldn't be judged by a win or loss. Instead, let's all wish him the very best for Saturday's final."
About his take on Dhoni's x-factor, the legendary all-rounder said,"Mahendra Singh Dhoni is a bit of a gambler. He takes his decisions and backs them. Everyone was talking about why was Ravichandran Ashwin left out. But in the end, Dhoni was vindicated as Ashish Nehra bowled well. I believe India will play to their potential against Sri Lanka unlike yesterday."
Most of the World Cup winning former captains, barring Allan Border, feel that India have a slight edge over Sri Lanka in the World Cup final at the Wankhede on Saturday.
"I know people here won't like it but I believe that Sri Lanka will go into the final as favourites," former Australian captain Border said.
When live Clive Lloyd was asked to take his pick, he answered, "I have always believed that the side that takes catches have an edge. Although there isn't much to choose between the teams but I believe India will have a slight edge over Sri Lanka."
Lankan captain Arjuna Ranatunga feels that both teams are on even keel going into the final.
"It will be a 50-50 game. I am slightly worried about our middle-order. The batsmen from No. 5 to No. 7 (Angelo Mathews, Thilan Samarweera and Chamara Silva) haven't performed upto the mark. Also Mahela's (Jayawardene) form is a bit of worry for us," Ranatunga said.
Talking about pressure, the burly former skipper said, "Those who believe that there won't be pressure are wrong. I myself have played a final and I know how it feels out there in the middle. Also I wouldn't like to give any advice to the players. As it is the President of the country is advising players!" he said in a sarcastic tone.
Imran Khan feels that Dhoni's greatest quality is to remain calm and also learn from his mistakes.
"I was impressed in the manner he admitted that he misread the pitch," Imran said.
Former Australian captain Allan Border believes that Ricky Ponting's decision to step down from captaincy will have a positive effect on his performance and one might find him perform just like Sachin Tendulkar has done for India in the past couple of seasons.
"I completely support Ricky's decision to step down from captaincy. There was tremendous pressure on him for the last 12 months with speculations about his future as Australian captain. So, this decision will help him to focus on his game," feels Border.
The 55-year old former captain feels that Ponting might well be seen in a new avatar as he will now play purely as a batsman.
"I am sure there will be positive effect on Ricky. Now that the pressure is off his back, he can concentrate on playing his best cricket. He can definitely take inspiration from Sachin Tendulkar. It will be a huge motivation for Ricky to do something like Tendulkar has done for India over the past few years," Border adds.
Ask him to compare between Ponting and newly-appointed Michael Clarke's approach to captaincy, he explains, "Clarke's a bit of a gambler. He takes some instinctive decisions.
There's subtle difference to his approach compared to Ricky's. However, Michael brings a lot to the table. I am sure he would do a good job as Australian captain." PTI
