Cricket World Cup 2015: Don't explain Dhoni, just inspire

With less than a fortnight before their first match in the World Cup, Mahendra Singh Dhoni wants his players to rest and introspect. That's important, no doubt, but methinks the onus on the captain himself goes beyond just these: he needs to inspire.

India's form leading in to the biggest sport in the tournament has been dismal. After being beaten in the Tests, the ODI tri-series was expected to see a revival of form, for the team has done far better in limited overs cricket than the longer format over the past few years.

But only more defeats, and an early ouster from the tri-series followed. So lacklustre was the performance of almost every member of the side (barring perhaps Ajinkya Rahane) that there is rising concern whether India can successfully defend their title.

On the basis of current form, this seems unlikely. But, in sport as in life, a burst of inspiration can transform a seemingly hopeless situation into one of opportunities, possibilities - and even triumph.

The classic example in Indian cricket, of course, comes from the 1983 World Cup and Kapil Dev's 175 not out against Tunbridge Wells turned the tournament - and the future of the sport - on its head.

The difference between 1983 and now, however, is that nobody expected Kapil Dev's team to achieve anything so anything beyond defeat was a bonus. But in the years since, India acquired a far higher status in ODIs - because of results and not just the star value of players - which has justifiably raised expectations from fans.

Obviously, this puts greater onus and pressure on the players, and even more so the captain. But that comes with the turf. What is captaincy if not the ability to fire the ambition of team members to either meet expectations, or perform above prevailing constraints and circumstances.

This brings me to one of my abiding memories of Dhoni. It is from season 2007-08 hours before the team's departure to Australia. Anil Kumble was then Test captain, Dhoni was to lead in ODIs. He was at a party at Mumbai's swish Indigo restaurant when I asked him how he saw the challenge of playing Down Under.

There had been growing acrimony between players from India and Australia for some while and everybody was agreed that this would be a daunting tour. Behind the taciturn exterior, Dhoni's response was high voltage.

"Eent ka jawab patthar se (if they attack us with bricks, we'll respond with stones," he said. "In the past, we would be weak and allow them to dominate; that mindset has to change."

India lost the Test series narrowly, but won the ODI series convincingly, Dhoni leading with rare chutzpah and his own brand of unorthodox tactics that confounded opponents and experts alike.

History is testimony to how, under Dhoni, India scaled great heights after that tour for almost three-and-a-half years, becoming the top-ranked Test team in the game and culminating in the spectacular 2011 World Cup victory.

The decline since then has been steep. It also appears to have taken its toll, especially on Dhoni, if his premature greying and beleaguered demeanour is any indication. A prolonged barren period has also seen him give up the Test captaincy suddenly, sparking widespread speculation.

The World Cup title will not be easy to defend, yet there is the opportunity for redemption. But for that, I venture the Dhoni of 2015 needs to recall the Dhoni between 2008-2011: Somebody who relished a challenge and the dangers that inevitably come with it, quirky tactics, but above all flush with the self-belief to take on the world.

To encapsulate everything in one word, "inspirational".