Give Dhoni a final chance

Dhoni swung his broad shoulders to send an already battered piece of leather into oblivion. The inexperienced McKay followed it up with a waist high full toss and we all knew that the match was over then and there. Dhoni looked like a man who knew exactly what is going to happen and when he needed to make it happen. But why was this calm know-it-all absent in the Test series? Why does Dhoni give the impression that he is hand-in-glove with the ODI format but all at sea in the longer version?

Having closely watched his body language, involvement and even gait during both the Test and the ongoing ODI series, one can easily come to the conclusion that Dhoni prefers the shorter format. He even made it clear that he is not clinging on to the Test captaincy and ‘challenged’ the board to find a suitable replacement for him. But one would be too hasty to come to the conclusion that Dhoni is not enthusiastic about the purest format of the game. Ever since Dhoni became the captain in the shorter formats of the game, he has had relatively young team members to handle. Driving and influencing them came naturally to him because he was arguably the best middle order bat and one of the greatest finishers of the game. While he rose proficiently as an ODI captain, Anil Kumble handled the Test reins. Kumble commanded respect from what was a relatively middle aged Test team. India, which started winning matches abroad during Ganguly’s reins, was able to convert abroad match wins to series wins. The aged middle order was in sublime form. The dangerous opening duo of Sehwag and Gambhir clicked in every other innings. Kumble thought it was the perfect time for Dhoni to take over and, like the team man he always was, stepped down. Dhoni’s honeymoon continued with the Test team as well and his deficiencies as a Test batsman were overshadowed by prolific scores by his famed batting line up. The purple patch, unfortunately, came to an end this English summer. The famed batting line up got sorted out for good and suddenly Dhoni being a below average Test batsman became glaringly obvious.

The Test team comprises of all time greats of the game. But even the greats during their off period, seek inspiration from team mates, preferably their leader. When they see their leader unable to sort out his own batting issues, they have nowhere else to turn to. Dhoni, for his part, would find it difficult to influence and drive the team since he essentially, is a non-performing asset in it. This, I believe, has led to the overall rut that our Test team is in right now – lack of motivation, lack of self-belief and lack of the drive to win.

So, will India get to recover from the shambles they are in currently? I believe they will. The following Test series’ will be of immense importance. Phasing out of seniors is bound to start. Dhoni will have fresher, younger and more eager members in his team; members who will be inspired by him despite his batting deficiencies. The Kohlis, the Sharmas and the Rahanes are bound to bring in an additional aspect to the team apart from their talent – the unquestioning belief in their captain. This will do Indian cricket a world of good.

So, to all those Dhoni skeptics out there, I implore only one favor from you – give the man who brought you immense joy on the 2^nd of April 2011 one more chance. There is very little chance of him becoming a better Test batsman, but a very good chance of him becoming a better Test captain.