Too much of talk has revolved around MS during the past week or so. While majority of the junta including the very respected former Australian skipper has been keen to point out that its high time that the street-smart cricketer be handed over the reins in Test cricket as well, Ravi Shastri (and a few other sane men)was quick to point out that theres still some oil left in the tank as far as Anil Kumble is concerned. Actually, one is not very sure whether there is still indeed some fuel left in the tank but a fit Anil Kumble can still command a place in the team, not just as a frontline spinner but also as a captain. The reason can also be partly put to the fact that, MS still has some work to do in Test cricket to command respect of the highest order.
Its true that Dhoni seems to have taken to captaincy ridiculously easily. To be honest, barring a few errors in judgement as far as his own batting slot in ODIs is concerned [none more glaring than the one during the tri-series final in Dhaka recently] he’s hardly put a foot wrong. Important triumphs in South Africa, Australia, Sri Lanka; he’s had them all. The way he’s apparently made sure he gets the team of his choice is highly commendable. It shows that he cares not too much about reputations but more about the ground realities! His mannerisms, both on and off the field is something that young kids should look to emulate. For me, the clip that stands out the most during his short international career as a captain is the one in which he addressed his team after that pulsating IPL final. If reports were to be believed, all he said to the team was that they need not get too disappointed with the result. Their efforts were exemplary and at times, winning is not the most important thing! For a man to address his team like that just moments after a heart-breaking loss speaks volumes of his steely character. Yes, to say that MS has taken to captaincy like a duck takes to water would be akin to stating the very obvious.
However, in all this euphoria one must not forget that, at the end of the day, Test Cricket is indeed, well, Test Cricket. It is an enormously different format of the game and though the best players seem to adjust to the various formats of the game easily enough, Dhoni still has to make a real significant impression in his Test match resume. True, coming to bat at no. 7 doesn’t help him much. Even then, a batting average of 35 odd is still pretty low by his standards; especially with the kind of benchmark that Adam Gilchrist has set despite batting at no. 7 for most part of his career. When he did get a chance to do the talking with the bat, Dhoni didn’t disappoint at Mohali, moreover he was even ready to ‘lead by example’ by stepping out to bat at no.3 in the crucial 2nd innings. We’ll still have to wait though for him to become a bit more consistent in the matches to follow. Its increasingly looking likely that Kumble may not play on for too long now. I personally think the Pakistan series early next year would be a good time for MS to take over. Which gives him 4 more Test matches to consolidate his position in the team as a reliable batsman. Infact, most people tip him to take over for the upcoming England series as well but only time will tell how long will Kumble want to continue, his less-than-impressive form and bowling arm permitting. Nonetheless, unlike most people I do not think his heir-apparent is 'ready to take over' in Tests as he was in ODIs and T20s, coz as stated earlier, his batting has to become a bit more consistent. In a team wherein every other batsman averages 40+, it better become a 'lot-more-consistent'.
As his first international skipper would testify (or will he ever agree to it?) once a captain doesn’t contribute much to the team with bat/ball, his influence and respect within the team and otherwise ends up diminishing pretty rapidly. It’s a cruel game cricket and its especially true if you’re an Indian playing this sport!
2 comments:
I wud agree with you that Kumble is not gona last long. But as u rightly pointed out, this is 'TEST' cricket.. so much different than ODIs and T20s. I strongly believe that we should not get carried away with Dhoni's success as a captain in the last test. Unfortunately, Dravid and Tendulkar do not wish to take that job. Guess we all can see that Dhoni will be leading the test side against Pak if not against England later this year. But its more coz of lack of choice than Dhoni himself earning that position.
I think you have missed the point. Dhoni is not a batsman, but a wktkeeper batsman. Its unfair to compare everybody to Gilchrist, because he's a once-in-a-lifetime player. An avg. of 35+ for a good wicketkeeper (Dhoni has imporved his wktkeeping skills tremendously in the last 2 yrs) is pretty good to cement his place in the team.
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