Former Pakistan skipper and noted commentator Rameez Raja has stated that M S Dhoni must quit T20 captaincy since India haven’t been faring well in the format under him. Raja has a fair point. Since winning the inaugural World T20 in 2007, India have not progressed past the first round in any of the preceding World T20s. If anything, their performance has only gone from bad to worse. At the same time, Dhoni himself hasn’t looked in control of the side during any of the tournaments. And while his personal form hasn’t been great in those big tournaments, India haven’t done well in other T20 games either.
The best of Dhoni as leader has been on view only in the 50-over format, and that too because he has been so successful with the bat in this version. In Tests, he has been way below par as batsman and captain, at times even looking uninterested as the situation went out of hand. Dhoni looked completely clueless as India lost Test after Test in Australia and England. Even in the home series against England when India had an opportunity to get their own back, Dhoni instead concentrated on the pitches and his team lost the battle on the field.
India’s disappointing loss to England was the latest illustration of the fact that Dhoni isn’t the same captain who led India to the number one ranking in Tests. The Indian skipper alone isn’t to blame for the debacles that have been taking place in Indian cricket. To put it simply, there has just been too much on Dhoni’s plate -- leading and keeping in all formats of the game, doing the same in the IPL and also in the Champions League T20 whenever they qualify. Which player in world cricket carries so much workload on his shoulders?
Dhoni is only human after all, so it is but natural that his performances have started falteringparticularly in the much more intense Test format. The only forward for Dhoni, and in the same vein India cricket, is that the current skipper in all formats be relieved of some of his responsibilities, so that he can concentrate on fewer things but with better sense of commitment. For starters, the Indian skipper must get his priorities right. If he continues to falter in the Test format as a batsman, he might as well quit the five-day format altogether and let someone more deserving occupy the spot.
Having different captains for all three formats is something Indian cricket must seriously consider. Dhoni can continue leading India in the one-dayers while Virat Kolhi can take over in the T20s. They need to figure out who takes over the Test side. The logic of it being too early for Kohli to take over the job seems jaded now. We will only come to know how good the others are once they are given a chance. How long will we persist with a captain who excels in only one format? Lack of choice is just an excuse for being unwilling to go in for chance.
--By A Cricket Analyst
