1. CAPTAINCY By Ashok Mankad www.cricketforindia.com Unlike leaders in several other sports, the individual who is in charge of a cricket team is confronted with the task of walking the talk, of practising what he preaches. This unique feature of cricket hasn’t prevented the post of the captain being the most sought-after in the sport. Every cricketer worth his salt aspires to be the captain. He who claims not to have had any captaincy ambitions at any stage of his career is in most cases, a liar. The game of cricket has produced some outstanding leaders; men who with their flair for tactics and man- management have guided their team to glory.

2. CAPTAINCY By Ashok Mankad www.cricketforindia.com There is much more to captaincy than merely finalizing the playing XI before a match, accompanying the opposing captain for the toss and setting the field and rotating the bowlers after the umpire calls ‘Play!”

3. CAPTAINCY By Ashok Mankad www.cricketforindia.com An apt definition of a ‘Captain’ would be; A person who acts as a bridge by helping his team to cross over to achieve a particular objective, and then ‘collapses joyfully’.

4. CAPTAINCY By Ashok Mankad www.cricketforindia.com What are the attributes that a captain ideally ought to possess? Here are some:  The four Cs: He should be calm, composed, congenial, and an effective communicator.  Equator: He should be an equator of egos. A cricket team may comprise some all-time greats and others who may not be as talented. A captain should not discriminate between his players. He should accord equal treatment to everyone. Mike Brearley, who captained a star-studded English team in the late 70s and early 80s, was an excellent ‘ego-equator’.  The two Is – He should be intuitive and imaginative, and open to thinking out of the box. He should be prepared to face the consequences if the risks that he takes do not work for his side. Sourav Ganguly (centre) - An excellent communicator Rahul Dravid (left) - Intuitive and Imaginative

5. CAPTAINCY By Ashok Mankad www.cricketforindia.com  Well-rounded personality – He should have thorough knowledge of pitches, rules of the game and cricketing etiquette.  Love-all – He should love himself. This will enable him to ‘love’ his teammates. If there is no love within him, how will he able to love others?  Two-way faith – He should always believe in his team. His team will in turn believe in him. Unless people trust you, they won’t follow you or your instructions. Ricky Ponting (hoisted on his teammates' shoulders) - Believes in his team, and they in turn believe in him.

6. CAPTAINCY By Ashok Mankad www.cricketforindia.com  Captain by consensus – A dictator can rule, but cannot reign. Even Imran Khan, who was considered by many as a dictatorial captain, relied a lot on senior players like Javed Miandad and Mudassar Nazar for advice. A captain ought to create a group of masterminds who will assist him in decision-making.  Away, but not inaccessible – He should maintain a distance from the players. However, he should always be accessible. The players should not be scared to approach him for advice.

7. CAPTAINCY By Ashok Mankad www.cricketforindia.com  The art of ‘ignorance’ – He should be able to ignore mistakes made on the field, be it a dropped catch by a fielder or a silly shot by a batsman. A captain who is overtly critical of his players may demoralize them even further. A player who has erred should be exhorted to keep fighting. Invariably, he will try twice as hard to make up for his mistake. Mistakes should not be condoned completely, but a quiet word with the concerned player in the dressing-room can be far more effective than shouting at him in public.  Not for me, but for the team – He should silently convey to the players that they are performing not for him, but for the team. Inzamam-ul-Haq (right) - Away, but accessible.