Is Dhoni really a misfit in the Test arena?

2012 ended in a dismal manner for India’s Test team. It was a forgettable year, with the team and the fans having to endure humiliation for quite a bit of time. We have to go back to the 90s to compare this season with some of the worst Test performances by India.

The new year is well and truly here and so is a new challenge that awaits both Indian cricket and MS Dhoni. The test is not just for ‘captain’ MS Dhoni but also for a certain ‘batsman’ MS Dhoni. When Tendulkar retired from ODIs, the captain came out saying that he was happy to be the punching bag for the team in media circles. It is time Dhoni proved his critics wrong in the Test arena.

While he continues to sizzle in the ODIs with breath-taking knocks, Dhoni the Test batsman has been questioned, scrutinized and criticised a lot. It can’t get any worse than critics claim that he is in the Test team as a captain rather than a batsman.

Adam Gilchrist has certainly made life very tough for wicket-keepers who have played the game after him. The role of a wicket-keeper has changed considerably. Wicket-keepers have to do more than just be glovesmen. They can’t stay in the team merely for their ‘primary’ role. However, even today, only a handful around the world have had half of Gilchrist’s impact.

Among the wicket-keepers from modern era, only Andy Flower (53.7) and Adam Gilchrist (47.6) showcase outstanding Test batting averages. Flower was a proper middle-order batsman who could walk into any team of the late 90s and early 2000s as a batsman. Gilchrist was phenomenal and any comparisons with him are only going to be farcical to say the least, for he is arguably the best wicket-keeper batsman ever.

One of England‘s best, Alec Stewart, averages 34.92 in Tests in games where he has kept wickets, while Mark Boucher averaged 30 throughout his career. Among contemporaries, Denesh Ramdin averages 25, Kamran Akmal averages 30 and Brad Haddin averages 35.82. Only Matt Prior (43), AB de Villiers (47 in 13 games) and Matthew Wade (42.5 in 9 games) average better than Dhoni. While Dhoni’s overall Test batting average (batting at #6 and #7) is 38.06, his batting average as captain is 41.71. Can these numbers, of a Test wicket-keeper batsman, be deemed as those from a misfit? Seen from this perspective and with contemporary relevance attached, Dhoni’s numbers match and in many cases, better those of any wicketkeeper-batsman.

Such numbers only make us wonder why it is difficult for wicket-keepers to score like other batsmen. Matt Prior is easily the best wicket-keeper batsman currently, but he averages only 43 in Test cricket. The reason has to be the situation most of these batsmen walk in. I can’t recall too many Test match openers who’ve been wicket-keepers. The workload behind stumps can be mentally draining and it must be close to impossible to walk in before the fall of the 4th or 5th wicket. It is even rarer for these batsmen to bat with the top order. More often than not, it is the lower order batsmen who are with them for company. If numbers 9, 10 and 11 hardly know how to hold a bat, then scoring runs is going to be tougher.

Take a look at what CM Gautam of Karnataka has done this season. He now holds the record for the highest season-tally in Ranji Trophy history by a wicket-keeper. But it must be noted that he bats at No. 4 for his state and that has enabled him to score better; there is more to Gautam’s performance than just his ability.

If anything, Dhoni has raised the bar himself through his one-day performances but when talking of Test cricket, he hasn’t completely utilized his potential. There is a huge difference in someone who is a total misfit in Test cricket and someone not converting one’s potential completely. Dhoni belongs to the latter group.

Time and again, in trying circumstances, Dhoni has pulled off some memorable Test knocks. Since the 2011 World Cup, he has scored fifty or more once in every 4 Test innings. He has shown glimpses of his steely nature in the recent past too. Down in the dumps at 277-6 after the first session on the 4th morning of the first Test at Centurion (2010), Dhoni battled with Tendulkar in a 172-run partnership that tried to delay the inevitable. Hopes of a miracle, however, came to an end when he was dismissed four overs before stumps.

When the team was floundering at Birmingham (2011), he came up with knocks of 77 and 74*, scoring without support at the other end. Among his knocks in the recent past, the 99 he scored at Nagpur against England will be long remembered for the grit that he showed.

Between these gems came a string of low scores that is very unlike Dhoni himself. He obviously lacks the technique against the swinging ball. But his grit could do a world of good for him. The mentally strong have greater chance to excel in Test cricket than the ones who are only technically strong. In the subcontinent, Dhoni holds firm authority across formats. The series against Australia couldn’t have been timed any better. In the past year, Dhoni averaged 46.75 in Test cricket, much more than many of his teammates who are struggling to find their touch.

He has had a good run against New Zealand and England in home conditions. He has been tremendous with his ODI form. While it is absurd to call Dhoni a misfit in Test cricket, he has to do a lot of work to enhance his reputation as a batsman in this format. The series against Australia gives him this chance. The challenge opens up at Chennai, his second home, later this week. Hyderabad will give him run-scoring opportunities and so will Mohali and Delhi.

Will Dhoni continue to play Test matches? Will he continue captaining the team across all formats? We will get the answers soon. Come December 2013, the team will be travelling around the world once again. The timing is just perfect for him to become better, considering his recent form and the upcoming challenge.