Indian skipper MS Dhoni has had a tremendous year in ODI's, leading from the front almost every time India have taken the field.

The dynamic wicketkeeper batsman, who scored 76 against Pakistan in their Super Four clash in Karachi on Wednesday notched up his thrid fifty plus knock in his last four innings.

Look at this for a captain in absolute control. He blasted 64 against Pakistan at Dhaka on June 14, 2008 in the Kitply Tri Series.

Cut to the STAR Cricket Asia Cup , he rattled up 109 not out againt Hong Kong at Karachi on June 25, 26 not out against Pakistan at Karachi on June 26; did not bat against Sri Lanka at Karachi on June 28 and then guided his team to safety with a well compiled 76 against Pakistan at Karachi on July 2.

Dhoni also reached 1,000 runs when he was on 69, joining an esteemed company of Mohammad Azharuddin (5239), Sourav Ganguly (5082), Rahul Dravid (2658), Sachin Tendulkar (2454) and Kapil Dev (1563).

Infact, Dhoni has improved his record after taking over the reigns from Rahul Dravid last year. As captain, Dhoni has averaged 59.23 - 1007 in 25 innings while not as captain, he has averaged 44.23, scoring 2477 in 75 innings.

This is a phenomenal achievement, considering the fact that some of India's greatest batsmen have seen their form dip after being asked to lead. The Indian captaincy is said to be one of the most high pressure jobs in the cricketing world.

The fact that Dhoni is a special cricketer is underlined by the fact that he is the only captain in the history of ODIs to have averaged over 50 (59.23) - minimum qualification: 1000 runs. The next three captains in terms of averages are Pakistan's Shoaib Malik (45.74), former New Zealand skipper Martin Crowe (45.39) and Australia's Greg Chappell (45.21).

2008 has been a wonderful year for the Indian cricket team and the captain has commanded respect with his performance this year. He has averaged 80.75 in 2008 - 646 runs in 14 innings - his best year in ODIs.

Meanwhile, Shahid Afridi, who has bagged the second highest ODI wickets this year with 27 wickets at 26.40 runs apiece in 16 ODIs has had an indifferent last two matches in the STAR Cricket Asia Cup.

In two crucial games in a row, the leg spinner went wicketless - 10-0-54-0 against Sri Lanka on June 29 and 10-0-52-0 against India on Wednesday. Add to that his terrible batting form.

However, Indian cricket fans can raise a toast. Their captain is in full flow.