It's hard being an Indian cricket fan these days. But what's even harder is to be the Indian cricket captain! It only seems like yesterday that Mahendra Singh Dhoni was being crowned as India's best ever skipper after lifting the World Cup trophy. Everything seemed like a romantic little fairytale.
But then things started to fall apart. Coach Gary Kirsten took his leave and the energy of the Indian team went with him. India got plundered in England, Australia, even at home and most significantly, even by the mercurial Pakistanis. Stalwarts walked off the field - Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, even the legendary Sachin Tendulkar. None of MS Dhoni's Midas touch was coming to his aid as India fell off a cliff at rapid pace, helplessly. It's so much like Ian Chappell, the former Australian skipper used to say - "When things go wrong, they seem to go wrong horribly and seemingly forever."
It's been a hard 2012 for Mahendra Singh Dhoni. He hasn't been a bad batsman at all; in fact, he's been India's most effective, coming up with face-saving graces every now and then. He hasn't been a bad wicketkeeper either; he's still amongst the world's best, if not the best, flying around like a sly fox behind the sticks. But then the Indian fan wonders - has he been a bad captain? What has Mahendra Singh Dhoni done so differently since April 2, 2011 that has led to such a stunning catastrophe?
Many say that MSD has been stubbornly "regressive" on the field. He seems less willing to take risks now than he did when he first came in. He's most certainly also been hiding himself in the batting order, refusing to come in to bat until the game is already done or the innings about to fold up. Much of that seems to suggest that the captain has lost faith in his men. The seniors of Indian cricket had pampered him so much with their unmatched competence and skill, taking India to the pinnacle of world cricket, that he doesn't seem to have the confidence to go on without them. Ricky Ponting had similar problems following the retirements of Adam Gilchrist, Matthew Hayden and Glenn McGrath and even went on to face a humiliating Ashes defeat at home. What India don't seem to have done when the going was good was to build on their bench strength and groom the future generation. The result: a dramatic collapse.
The least MS Dhoni can do for Indian cricket today is to groom a new generation of world-beaters. Perhaps that explains why he's been "hiding in the batting line-up" - to give the Kohlis and Rohits and Rainas more time to play their natural game and build careers. However, if MS Dhoni doesn't have confidence in the current lot, he needs to look beyond them, back in the domestic circuit. India need to identify a real talented batch of young guns and let them play their natural game on the world stage. The captain needs to repose more faith in them and play with them as he would with his previous bunch of greats - daringly aggressive. Who knows? "When winter comes, can spring be far behind?"
But then things started to fall apart. Coach Gary Kirsten took his leave and the energy of the Indian team went with him. India got plundered in England, Australia, even at home and most significantly, even by the mercurial Pakistanis. Stalwarts walked off the field - Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, even the legendary Sachin Tendulkar. None of MS Dhoni's Midas touch was coming to his aid as India fell off a cliff at rapid pace, helplessly. It's so much like Ian Chappell, the former Australian skipper used to say - "When things go wrong, they seem to go wrong horribly and seemingly forever."
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| Some help please!: Dhoni seems to lack good resources |
Many say that MSD has been stubbornly "regressive" on the field. He seems less willing to take risks now than he did when he first came in. He's most certainly also been hiding himself in the batting order, refusing to come in to bat until the game is already done or the innings about to fold up. Much of that seems to suggest that the captain has lost faith in his men. The seniors of Indian cricket had pampered him so much with their unmatched competence and skill, taking India to the pinnacle of world cricket, that he doesn't seem to have the confidence to go on without them. Ricky Ponting had similar problems following the retirements of Adam Gilchrist, Matthew Hayden and Glenn McGrath and even went on to face a humiliating Ashes defeat at home. What India don't seem to have done when the going was good was to build on their bench strength and groom the future generation. The result: a dramatic collapse.
The least MS Dhoni can do for Indian cricket today is to groom a new generation of world-beaters. Perhaps that explains why he's been "hiding in the batting line-up" - to give the Kohlis and Rohits and Rainas more time to play their natural game and build careers. However, if MS Dhoni doesn't have confidence in the current lot, he needs to look beyond them, back in the domestic circuit. India need to identify a real talented batch of young guns and let them play their natural game on the world stage. The captain needs to repose more faith in them and play with them as he would with his previous bunch of greats - daringly aggressive. Who knows? "When winter comes, can spring be far behind?"
