A tad surprising in my eyes after witnessing the same flaws that everyone has jumped on him now stand out like neon lights in Capetown last year, but strangely were overlooked by the cricketing peanut gallery. The Test was of course the third in the epic South Africa vs India series that contained some of the most breathtaking individual acts, and a comeback from India to stand within grasp of a series win after being dead to rites after an innings loss in the 1st stanza of the series.
Enter Mark Boucher with South Africa on 130/6 leading by 132, and Harbhajan Singh making us reminisce of his epic feats against Australia in 2001 having got 4 of the first 6 wickets. This was a Mark Boucher that had failed to reach a 50 in his previous 7 innings and was a shadow of his former menace.
Attack!! Attack!! ATTACK!!! I screamed to M.S.Dhoni as Boucher took guard.
I am old, so I am often unheard and duly the Indian Skipper was true to form with him sending 5 to the fence from ‘Bhajji’s’ first ball to Boucher. Allowing him to pay the tippidy run type cricket that he was so adept in with little or no pressure to share in a partnership of 103 runs with the regal Jacques Kallis, that extinguished much of the Indian flames.
108 added for the remaining 3 South African wickets that were symbolized by sparse and scattered fields with the batsmen just milking the lead up and burying the Indian chances. It was thought that M.S.Dhoni was the hosts’ 12th man, with his bizarrely defensive tactics.
As soon as that series finished 1-1, M.S.Dhoni should have been relieved of his leadership in the view of the team, that was at the top of its game being so undermined by his lack of any tactical nous. Instead, blind eyes were turned, with worse to follow – the scattering of Test faithful in the T20 hub that India has become in the World Cup, after he commandeered an Indian victory after 28 years of toil with his brilliant leadership leaving his legacy all over it with bring up the victory with a huge 6.
Herein lies the true conundrum that M.S.Dhoni is as a leader : In the respect that after the World Cup win, in truth he was ordained a ‘deity’ that even the demi-God Tendulkar could not touch. Duly, hysteria has blinded sight to what M.S.Dhoni really is in the eyes of all – A man that is one of the best players in the history of the shorter forms of the game and indeed a Captain of similar caliber, but in Tests, a batsman that for the most part is a deer in head lights away from road pitches and then a Captain that is about as substandard as one could hope to see.
Automatically this will raise the ire of his legion of fans with them instantly pointing to his impressive figures as the Indian leader that reads:
Away from homeMatches Won Lost Draw Tied18 5 8 5 0
At home
Matches Won Lost Draw Tied18 12 1 5 0
Impressive figures to gloss over, but in a sense they are reminiscent of a woman’s skirts for they conceal more than they show.
“The tactics are right out there, very defensive. Dhoni is a very defensive captain. I have watched him a lot and he sits back and tries to see the opposition make mistakes. ( Steve Waugh )
“MS Dhoni set the tone for India’s slide to oblivion on the final day at the MCG.” ( Ian Chappell)
“I think standing quiet behind the wickets and inspiring the bowlers with words of wisdom is still not part of our sub-continental culture,” ( Wasim Akram )
Quotes from these Legends that give a clearer definition to Dhoni’s ‘ Test Captaincy’ that is so symbolized by what marks his sincere greatness in the shorter forms of the game in respect to a ‘save runs first, and get wickets second’ mentality, which is ok when you are playing against the weaker Teams in Test Cricket for the use of subtle strangulation in scoring will lead them into temptation and demise. Although, against the more refined or able teams, it just means they will go into milk mode and set up safety or victory for them while knee buckling India’s prospects. The Team stands at the edge of the abyss in this current series with 2-0 down and a whitewash similar to the one seen in England,on the cards making many justifiably call for a rebirth in Team India.
This needs to come from M.S.Dhoni stepping down as Indian test captain, while being retained as their leader in the shorter forms of the game where he is a master. He needs to resign for there is no chance that he will be sacked with his immense meaning to the Indian people, and more crucially the men who pull so many strings in Corporate India.
If he man’s up to his craven inadequacies in the Test arena, it will give Team India a renaissance that is so needed as they enter a transition stage, similar to the replacement of an icon in Ricky Ponting with Michael Clarke as Australian Captain at the same time last year.
We have all seen the success of that move and India should follow suit.
Ps: As for a replacement, Subramaniam Badrinath, who has led well for Tamil Nadu.
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