Dhoni is an excellent example of the pros and cons of giving a strong leader absolute support.
He has been an excellent captain at times. He has faith in his players, he gives them confidence, he has been known to set innovative fields, he is clear in his instruction, he is not afraid to make his opinion known, and he is all too happy to take the responsibility on his shoulders.
I remember one particular CSK game where he got the best performance out of Tim Southee, who up until that point had not been a very mediocre LO bowler. Each ball in the final over he gave him clear instructions on where he wanted him to bowl. The decision-making was taken away from Southee and as such the pressure came right off and he delivered.
Unfortunately, this willingness to shoulder the responsibility has also been his weakness. He should not have been given as much veto rights in selection as he has. His faith in players like Ishant Sharma has not been re-paid, and he does not have the capacity to see that and instead maintains high expectations of a player who has repeatedly failed to deliver.
The solution should be to take some of his power away, especially regarding selections, and develop more of a leadership group around him.
