Had MS Dhoni not been the captain

3. Suresh Raina out, Ambati Rayudu in

Ambati Rayudu has impressed when given a chance

Suresh Raina is a different case, altogether. He has justified his tremendous talent by playing responsible cricket over a period of time. However, his infamous weakness against the bouncing ball has taken away his effectiveness in overseas conditions.

He has never lacked in commitment and team-spirit. But performances do matter. Not for MS Dhoni though, who persevered with his CSK teammate, in spite of repeated failures abroad.

Ambati Rayudu, a prolific performer in the Vijay Hazare Trophy and the IPL, got the ‘big ticket’ against minnow nations, where he did deliver. In IPL, he is a key force in the Mumbai Indians’ setup. But, he had to wait for a long time to get a look in the first string squad.

Rayudu’s finishing skills would come handy in Australia. For that to happen, he must be given a consistent run.

4. Ravichandran Ashwin out, Amit Mishra in

Ashwin is arguably, the most intelligent cricketer in the current lot. But, somehow, his intelligence has played against him time and again. Not sticking to the basics and trying too many variations has been his biggest nemesis.

At home, not many can outmatch him. But while travelling, he’s not even India’s best. Ashwin is often accused of not putting much back behind his deliveries, the value of which cannot be ignored in alien conditions.

Despite his inability to pick up wickets overseas, Dhoni has stuck with him, possibly to contain runs. Well, that hasn’t happened either.

The decade gone by has been a decade of denial for Amit Mishra. A wily leg-break spinner, Mishra has had all the tricks in his bag, but the presence of Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh meant that there was no space for him. When they went, Ashwin and Jadeja came to the fore, and he’s still denied opportunities.

Mishra betters Ashwin in many a respect. Unlike Ashwin, he isn’t afraid to toss the ball up. Moreover, when it comes to immaculately consistency, Mishra is still one notch above him. It assumes all the more significance given he is a wrist spinner.

The bouncy surfaces in Australia assist a leg spinner more, and hence it becomes all the more important to pick him ahead of Ashwin for the World Cup scheduled next year.

Here are a few more aspects which could have been otherwise, had it not been for MSD:

Seniors Ignored: If it had not been for Dhoni, the veterans like Wasim Jaffer and Kedar Jadav, who have been piling up runs in the Ranji trophy for years, would have made it to the Indian test team. Dhoni wants ‘young legs’ on the field, but is it at the cost of a solid batting order?

DRS: Captain Dhoni was one of the first players from India to raise his disapproval for the use of technology. During the 2011 tour of Australia, he refuted the accuracy of DRS calling it as not being “100% perfect.” However India has lost numerous opportunities in both ODIs and Tests because of the lack of the technology in place. Is Dhoni’s viewpoint, BCCI’s viewpoint?

Pitch Preparation: Dhoni has been bluntly advocating for square turners to be prepared for Test matches played on home soil. Is he crossing his limits and interfering in a matter he must have no say on?