Pakistan captain Fatima Sana reveals her MS Dhoni-style captaincy approach ahead of Women’s ODI World Cup 2025

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As the Pakistan women’s cricket team gears up for the ODI World Cup 2025, all eyes are on their captain, Fatima Sana. The young all-rounder is not only focused on leading her team to success but is also adopting a leadership philosophy inspired by one of cricket’s most legendary figures. In a move that highlights the deep respect that transcends national rivalries, Sana has revealed her profound admiration for former Indian captain MS Dhoni, stating that his principles of leadership are the very blueprint she hopes to follow on the global stage. Her connection to Dhoni is not merely a passing remark; it is a core part of her mental preparation ahead of the biggest tournament of her career.

Fatima is making it clear that she is a student of the game, and her ultimate teacher in captaincy is none other than Dhoni. Her preparation for the World Cup involves more than just practice and strategy sessions; it includes watching Dhoni’s matches and interviews to absorb his calm and calculated approach. ‘It is natural to be a little nervous initially when captaining in a big tournament like the World Cup, but I take inspiration from Mahendra Singh Dhoni as a captain,’ Sana explained to PTI.

She highlighted the specific qualities she is trying to emulate, adding, ‘I have seen his matches as India and CSK captain. His on-field decision-making, calmness and the way he backs his players, there is a lot to learn from that,’ For Sana, it is a personal mission to embody that same unshakeable demeanor under pressure. ‘When I got the captaincy, I thought that I have to become like Dhoni. I also watched his interviews and got to learn a lot,’ she affirmed. This deep connection to Dhoni’s leadership style is set to define her captaincy throughout the tournament.

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Despite Pakistan’s historical struggles in the Women’s ODI World Cup, where victories have been hard to come by, Fatima is filled with a new-found confidence. She believes the current young squad has what it takes to change the narrative. ‘This time, the jinx will definitely be broken because the young players know how important this tournament is for Pakistan women’s cricket. We will not think about the past,’ she declared. Sana has set a bold, clear goal for her team that reflects her ambition: ‘My goal is to take the team to the semifinals,’

To achieve this, she is backing her team’s strengths, particularly their bowling unit. Sana considers her bowlers to be the team’s trump card, asserting, ‘We have top-class bowlers in the team and spinners will be our trump card. We will depend more on bowling than batting.’ However, she also mentioned that a lot of work has been put into improving their batting over the last year, a development she believes will yield positive results. The team is also heading into the World Cup with high morale after a dominant performance in the qualifiers, where they won all five of their matches

Before their World Cup campaign gets underway, the Pakistan women’s team has a final series of preparations to fine-tune their strategy and build team cohesion. The team is scheduled to play a three-match ODI series against South Africa, which will serve as a crucial final test of their skills against a formidable opponent. Following that, they will play two warm-up fixtures against Sri Lanka, giving them a chance to acclimatize to the conditions. Pakistan are scheduled to play all their World Cup matches in Sri Lanka, beginning their journey on October 2 in Colombo with their opening fixture against Bangladesh.

Also READ: India suffers major setback as Yastika Bhatia ruled out of Women’s ODI World Cup 2025; replacement announced

This article was first published at WomenCricket.com, a Cricket Times company.