Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'Well done, Dhoni!' that was published in Newsband

Well done, Dhoni!

India’s triumph in the ICC Champions Trophy must rank as something special. Credit must go to M.S. Dhoni, the captain. India’s performance now bodes thrillingly well for the 2015 World Cup.

Shikhar Dhawan, the Player of the Series, batted brilliantly stunned the opponents who knew little of him. Ravindra Jadeja has matured into a capable all-rounder. The off-spinner R. Ashwin and the medium-pace bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar were very impressive. India also unveiled a fierce fielding unit, arguably the best in the world.

India’s victory achieves extra significance owing to the fact that the IPL fixing controversy and the subsequent wrangling in the BCCI battered the image of the sport in the country. The last edition of a Champions Trophy has been a successful tournament, both in terms of public appeal and the quality of the competition. India has asserted its status as the world No.1 ODI side.

Despite poor scheduling and lack of avenues to make up for any loss of time due to rain, the Champions Trophy was attractive and kept the interest going till end. At the end the clever cool headed captain handled his new team very well to defend a small total and get the cup which India truly deserved.

The young brigade put up an astonishing performance exceeding all expectations. It looks as if the much maligned IPL tournament has actually been a major contributing factor for this honing the running between wickets, fielding, aggressive approach and high pressure handling skills which were lacking in previous years.

Hats off to India for the creditable victory in the Championship Trophy!