The former India coach, who was instrumental in grooming Dhoni during the early part of his career, maintained that the wicketkeeper-batsman was so confident of his own ability that he didn't fear failure. And Chappell maintains, that is what made Dhoni the superstar he is today.
The other aspect of Dhoni that impressed his critics and fans alike was his rustic charm and uncomplicated approach to the game.
Almost 10 years down the line, half of it as a leader, Dhoni seems to have undergone a complete metamorphosis.
It is difficult to relate the 'Commander-in-chief' of the Indian team that capitulated to England in under three days at Old Trafford to the fearless warrior, who in spite of not being in good form, had promoted himself and played an awe-inspiring knock to win the World Cup final in 2011.
It seems like they are two different persons. They are not, for Dhoni is not a split-personality. It is just that this wonderfully gifted cricketer, a genuine by-product of limited-overs cricket, is a complete misfit in classical whites - both as a player as well as captain.
India's latest loss -- the 16th under Dhoni -- makes you wonder how long he can continue in this role. With 13 away losses under his belt, Dhoni is already India's worst Test captain in terms of overseas assignments. And at this rate, Dhoni could well end up becoming the worst-ever captain -- in terms of most away losses (16) -- by the end of the tour of Australia later this year.
It would be unfair to single out Dhoni for losing abroad when this has been the bane of Indian cricket, but the fact remains that in spite of being in charge for five years in all formats of the game, Dhoni remains a passive captain, who is generally happy to wait and see rather than being proactive.
He is not a great tactician, nor a good student of the game.
OVERALL (As Captain) MATCHES: 57 WON: 27 LOST: 16 Drawn: 14
Dhoni often relies on his instincts to baffle the opposition and critics. His selections have often proved to be farcical, changes in batting order have been illogical and bowling changes and field placements confounding. The sum total of all these have resulted in India losing their way before the match, particularly while playing abroad where conditions demand captains to be more hands-on than in the sub-continent where tried and tested methods still guarantee results.
Among Dhoni's weird selections, the choice of Vinay Kumar as the fourth seamer at Perth in 2011-12, the drafting in of an unfit RP Singh at The Oval in 2011 and the inclusion of Stuart Binny as the fourth pacer on Trent Bridge's lifeless track, all figure prominently on his list of blunders.
He even had the gall to repeat the Binny blunder at Lord's, but got away with it. To top it all, Dhoni bowled Binny for just 10 overs in the two Tests and cited match situation, rather than poor selection, for the fiasco.
At Lord's, Dhoni confounded everyone by standing back to Ravindra Jadeja, who was bowling into the rough. Though the Indian captain gave a very complicated explanation for his 'brainwave', the simple fact is that with his flawed wicketkeeping technique, Dhoni was not confident of standing up to Jadeja on a fifth-day pitch.
After Indian batsmen surrendered their wickets to Moeen at the Ageas Bowl while trying to play him from the crease in the second innings, Dhoni demanded a more aggressive approach. He and his principal batsmen tried the new methodology at Old Trafford, but with the same consequences. So much for Dhoni's tactics.
Some of his bowling changes have been weird. At Trent Bridge, he kept bowling two pacers with a cluster of close-in fielders against the last-wicket pair of James Anderson and Joe Root. Dhoni let things drift as the duo notched up a world record partnership of 198 runs.
At Lord's, he changed Bhuvneshwar Kumar's end for no reason after he had picked up three wickets from the Nursery End. It was only after Bhuvi was switched back to the end where he was successful from, did he pick three scalps more.
At Old Trafford, when India had reduced England to 170/6, Dhoni chose to bowl his two spinners before lunch on Day 2 and Jadeja and Pankaj after the break, allowing Root and Buttler to get into their groove.
Finally, by refusing to pull up his batsmen for not putting up a fight in the second innings in the fourth Test, Dhoni has clearly devalued Test cricket. "It doesn't matter if you lose the game in three days or five days. You lose a game, you lose a game," was Dhoni's cryptic comment.
That is the new Dhoni for you. Only difference is if he still doesn't fear failure, it is not because he has added to his self-belief. It is just that he is now too powerful to control his own destiny.
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