De Villiers also recollected how Rohit took on fierce South African pacers Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel during a Durban Test.
Dhoni has said his team's tremendous 'experience' proved to be a crucial factor in its five-wicket victory
India went in for an optional practice on Saturday and Dhoni was seen doing what normally a skipper does -- inspecting the Eden Gardens pitch, taking local feedbacks and giving his team mates a pep talk.
With 899 points, the Indian captain remained in pole position, while limited overs vice-captain Rohit Sharma remained second in the list.
Skipper Virat Kohli scored his 30th one-day international century to lead India to victory in the fifth and final one-day match on Sunday as the visitors won by six wickets to complete a 5-0 whitewash of Sri Lanka in Colombo.
'A player of Dhoni's stature needs to be told that he is not being awarded a central contract for the time being and it was done in an appropriate manner.'
Dhoni's rate of scoring has been a topic of debate in the ongoing World Cup. On Thursday, the former skipper scored 56 off 61 balls, exploding in the last over, to help India post a winning 268-run total on the board against the Caribbean team.
Stung by an improved New Zealand the other night, a wary India would like to quickly get their house in order when they square off with Kane Williamson's boys in the third ODI in Mohali on Sunday. While the six-run defeat in Delhi has given India plenty to ponder about, it has also renewed interest in the contest which had been dominated by the home team prior to Thursday, stretching from the one-sided Test series to the first ODI in Dharamsala. From the New Zealand point of view, a victory was all that they needed after a string of deflating defeats. As a result of their first win on Indian soil in 13 years, one can expect a certain spring in the stride of the visitors when they take the field at the PCA Stadium in Mohali.
India spinner Kuldeep Yadav feels no one judges his bowling better than Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who is set to feature in his 300th ODI on Thursday.
Dhoni, who has won all cricketing accolades including captaining India to triumph at the 2011 ODI World Cup, 2007 T20 World Cup and the Champions Trophy, will turn 38 on Sunday.
India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni blamed poor batting for the debacle in the series.
Ganguly however feels Dhoni has a lot of cricket left in him, especially in one-dayers.
Limited over captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni will be eager to regain his golden touch even as Virat Kohli eyes another smashing knock at his home ground when favourites India lock horns with New Zealand in the second ODI in New Delhi on Thursday. It may be just another ODI in a bilateral series, but there is lot at stake for Dhoni, who has been under pressure after Test skipper Virat Kohli led India to the number one ranking following a 3-0 whitewash.
India produced a clinical bowling performance, led by Mohammed Shami, to restrict Australia to 236 for seven
Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar refused to draw comparison between the country's most successful ODI captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his predecessors, declaring that the wicketkeeper-batsman's record surpasses that of all his seniors.
After hammering the Kiwis 3-0 in the Tests, the focus now shifts to white-ball cricket . New Zealand will be bolstered by the presence of star allrounder Corey Anderson as captain Kane Williamson looks to avenge the defeat in Tests. Also, MS Dhoni's men will need to win the ODI series by a 4-1 margin to claim third place on the ICC ODI Championship.
The post-match media conference by India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni got disrupted for the second time in three years at the Saurashtra Cricket Association (SCA) Stadium, in Rajkot, on Sunday, because of laser show and bursting of crackers by the organisers.
Indian opener Virender Sehwag and skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Wednesday completed their 1,000 runs against Pakistan in One-day Internationals during the high-octane second semi-final of the World Cup.
His talent has always been unquestionable but what has stood out for young Gujarat Titans southpaw Sai Sudharsan in this IPL is his impressive game awareness and decision making, traits he picked up during his maiden India stint in South Africa last year.
In a major relief for Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the Supreme Court on Friday stayed the criminal proceedings against him in his case of allegedly 'denigrating' a Hindu god by posing as Lord Vishnu on the cover page of a magazine. Dhoni has also sought the transfer of the case against him from Anantapur to Bengaluru and the apex court has issued a notice on the same. The interim relief comes after a court in Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh had issued a non-bailable warrant against the cricketer. In September last year, the Supreme Court had stayed the criminal proceedings against Dhoni and also issued notice to social activist Jayakumar Hiremath, who had filed the case against the cricketer.
BCCI President Sourav Ganguly on Thursday said Mahendra Singh Dhoni was appointed as mentor of the Indian team to use his vast experience for the benefit of the side during the upcoming T20 World Cup in the UAE.
Former Indian wicketkeeper Syed Kirmani on Friday said the change of guard in the Indian cricket team, as Virat Kohli takes over the captaincy in limited overs format after Mahendra Singh Dhoni stepped down as skipper, reflects no ego problem in the team and added the newly appointed captain can learn a lot from 'captain cool's' experience in handling pressure situations. "There is no ego problems in the team . This will only be a big boon for Virat Kohli, as he can learn a lot from Dhoni's captaincy and decisions which he has taken in the crisis," he said.
Duncan Fletcher's role may be under scanner following India's prolonged poor run of form but Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Saturday refused to blame the coach, saying the utmost responsibility for performance lies with the players.
India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni lands in Dhaka for three-match series
Sachin Tendulkar has extended his greetings to new captain Ajinkya Rahane, hoping the youngster will do a good job during the upcoming Zimbabwe tour.
After succumbing to a 90-run defeat against South Africa in the third ODI, India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni said that his side missed the services of Zaheer Khan and Ashish Nehra.
Rishabh Pant, on Thursday, earned a maiden call-up to the Indian ODI team, replacing Dinesh Karthik for the first two games against the West Indies.
For him, selection for T20 World Cup shouldn't be based on one IPL season.
Rediscovering himself in the twilight of his career, a rejuvenated Mahendra Singh Dhoni would look to continue his regained form and guide India to a series-clinching win when the hosts take on New Zealand in the fourth One-Day International, in Ranchi, on Wednesday.
The Indian captain has always made at least one gesture to honour a senior cricketer who has announced retirement from international cricket.
Would he continue to be calm under pressure now that he is leading the side?
Ending speculation about coach Duncan Fletcher's role in the five one-dayers against England, Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni said that the Zimbabwean will stay as "boss" of the team until the 2015 World Cup.
India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Monday said that the players showed character through their performances in the ongoing five-match ODI series after the disastrous tour of England in the not-too-distant past.
India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni took the result of the fourth One-day International against England, which ended in a tie at Lord's on Sunday, in his stride.
Indian ODI captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni stone-walled questions on his Test retirement in the build-up to India's first ODI against Australia in the ongoing tri-series on Sunday.
As he led the Indian cricket team for the first time at his home ground and scored the winning runs in the team's comprehensive victory over England, skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni said the script was just 'perfect' for Saturday's One-day game.
Dhoni slammed an unbeaten 55 off 54 balls after Kohli laid the foundation for India's series-levelling six-wicket victory over Australia in the second ODI with a fluent century.
England may have dominated India in the just-concluded series but ODI skipper Alastair Cook warns that the real test would be when they play Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men in their backyard next month.
Dhoni would be the centre of discussion amid speculation that the Jharkhand player is contemplating retirement even though he hasn't spoken about it till now.
He believes that his game thrives well in pressure situations and Hardik Pandya does not have to look too far as he has both Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Virat Kohli for "inspiration." "There's a lot to learn when both (Kohli and Dhoni) of them bat. Their batting, running between wickets inspire us. It's at another level. It's fun to watch them bat together," Pandya paid glowing tributes to his seniors on the eve of their fourth ODI against New Zealand in Ranchi. A 151-run match-winning partnership between Dhoni (80) and Kohli (154 not out) set up their seven-wicket win in Mohali as India will look to seal the issue in the five-match rubber at the Jharkhand State Cricket Association Stadium Complex in Ranchi on Wednesday.
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