India should continue their journey under Dhoni

As we come to the end of test series Down-Under, Dhoni’s form is a concern not only to him but to all the Indians. If India lose the series 4-0 to Aussies, the morale in the team will come down going forward to the one-day series. I am not denying that Dhoni is a not a good captain. Dhoni’s entry to the squad rehabilitated India. Consecutive defeats overseas without a single victory brings down the strategy of the team. As two overseas losses, Dhoni’s captaincy is under controversy despite his successful journey as captain.

A captain who is courageous, does not get tense in any situation and the unique part about him is to win matches for India from tougher situations. Lots of cases can be considered to support this. In ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, against England, India was never in the game after Strauss century, but Dhoni bought his strike bowlers at right time which payed off.

Under Dhoni, India became the first team to win a bilateral ODI series in Sri Lanka and New Zealand. The “Super King” led Chennai to DLF IPL 2011 victory and in Champions League 2010. India became the first team after a gap of 20 years to whitewash Australia in a test series. Sachin Tendulkar heaped praised on Dhoni, claiming to the best captain that he had played under. If Dhoni steps down as captain, there is no other option of going to Sachin or Virender Sehwag. Virender Sehwag not experienced in leading the side in tests than Dhoni. No Kumble, no Saurav, if Dhoni steps down, India would be under a hitch.

Dhoni as captain abroad

Format	Played	Won	Lost	Draw	NR	Tied	Win%
Test	18	5	9	4	0	0	27.78%
ODI	66	35	24	0	6	1	53.03%
T20	21	9	11	0	0	1	42.86%

The stats speak about Dhoni’s judicious leadership. Initially, he was the captain who steered India to four consecutive test victories. When he was appointed test captain, his win percentage was around 60. It has come down as he lost the test series against South Africa, England and Australia. But no one till now is capable of replacing Mahendra Singh Dhoni. His ODI record as captain overseas is equally good to home record. His win at home is 66.6%. It’s not the question of Dhoni’s captaincy; it’s about his personal form. It’s the question of seniors stepping up with the bat.

In 2008, he led India to the finals of Asia cup and a successful tour of Sri Lanka. From 2008-2010, Dhoni was a successful captain despite losing Asia Cup. After Asia Cup final match, when asked about the loss he said “Most of the team find it difficult to get into final, atleast we were able to do”. Under Dhoni during that period, India almost made it to the finals of every tournament. He totally changed India as Saurav did when he took over from Sachin.

This stats of M.S. Dhoni is enough to state that he is a successful captain. Its just that he is going through a tough period. Each individual needs to step-up when needed. It’s foolish to blame the captain when batsmen fails.

Its just that he has had two disastrous tours, but he has the potential to lead the side. Since he is excluded from the next test match, he has ample time to make himself ready for the ODI series. A victory in final test will lift the team’s morale ahead of ODI series.