#CatchChitChat: Kiran More on Sushant Singh Rajput, MS Dhoni & what makes a successful captain

Tell us about the transformation process

We started with the basics which slowly evolved into Dhoni style because I wanted to see how he plays naturally. Sushant had never played with the season ball, and once he started playing well with season ball, we changed his style of batting.

When you spotted Dhoni for the first time did you know that he would become one of India's most successful captains?

A selector's job is to pick the best possible team to represent the country. I saw a certain amount of spark in Dhoni when I saw him bat for the first time. He was a little 'Hatke' and we created a opportunity for him by giving a place in India A team. He performed there by scoring nearly 600 runs in the series followed by a good performance in a few other tournaments. We were looking for a wicket keeper batsman for team India as Rahul Dravid used to keep behind the wickets in those days. Though Dhoni didn't bat well in his debut match, he was unstoppable thereafter. This is a great story, so better go and watch the film.

How did Sourav Ganguly and the other team members react when you selected Dhoni for the Indian team?

It is always the performance that speaks. Dhoni went onto perform well by almost hammering every bowler. He had already become talk of the town following his stint in India A team. Sourav Ganguly was Indian Captain back then and any captain would love to have a player like Dhoni in his team. As a selector and captain, we look for a match winner in a team and Dhoni is the biggest match winner India has ever produced.

What makes someone a successful captain?

Captains are always the people who take the gamble. Taking right decision at the right time is what makes a person a successful captain. Dhoni is a very special captain and that's why he is one of the greatest captains India has ever had. His decision to bat over Yuvraj Singh in World Cup final was a master stroke. He had the guts to take the gamble and that paid off.

Tell us about your decision to drop Sourav Ganguly from the cricket team in 2005.

You always have to take some strong decisions in your life. When we took the decision to drop Ganguly in 2005, it was to get the best eleven on board. There are seniors and top players in the team, but we had to analyse the whole thing and think about the future of Indian cricket before taking the call.

MS Dhoni: The Untold Story hits the big screen on 30 September 2016.

-- Edited By Blassy Boben