Unlike past captains like Dilip Vengsarkar, Rahul Dravid or Anil Kumble, captaincy was not given to him as an entitlement. He got it ahead of many of his peers and seniors because he had the knack for it.
Unlike Pataudi, Azharuddin or Ganguly, he did not have to build a side around him.
He was given a high performance, fully functional side on the ascendancy. May be like an Ajit Wadekar.
His short career can be viewed in two parts. The first with long hair and the second with a more traditional cut. With the long hair he was like a Yusuf Pathan. Pathan's beard phase that is. With the short hair he has displayed a side that many did not think he had.
With the long hair, he almost lost his Test place in the side to Dinesh Karthik but he pulled off a Paul Collingwood, before Paul Collingwood, at Lords in 2007. Since then he hasn't looked back. May be has, only to check if the short hair at the back of his head is to his liking.
Many wins later, he is now tasked with emulating Kapil Dev for a second time. The first time he emulated Kapil Dev, was not the real World Cup. This is the real World Cup. This one happens once in 4 years; sometimes 5. But not monthly like the one he won.
As a batsman he reminds me of Javed Miandad. In that he does not resemble a batsman. Perhaps a butcher. He is no where in the class of Javed Miandad but like with Pakistan and Miandad, India are never completely out of the game till he is batting.
Cool and Luck are words most frequently associated with him. Perhaps the later is a by product of the first.
I think India's fortunes are tied to Dhoni's in this world cup. Its not Sachin's to win. Its Dhoni's. And as long as Mahendra Singh Dhoni is in the game, India are firm firm favorites.
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