It is Dhoni's turn now!

Wednesday, June 17, 2009


"History repeats itself" is an old cliche. But it still holds good when it comes to Indian Cricket!

How many times have seen very good and talented players fall prey to the mantle of the Captain? Somehow, the Indian Cricket Captain's job is more difficult than that of the Prime Minister of India. Good for you Mr. Manmohan Singh!

Expectations of a hundred million people, politics and regional bias and the media have over the years made the Indian Captain's job the most dreaded one. But the glamor attached makes the lure incredible.

We had "Little Master" Gavaskar who did very well for nearly two years and then fell into bad times with the people and the press. "Haryana Hurricane" Kapil Dev was no different. After the epoch making 1983 World Cup triumph, he was anointed Demigod. Soon after he was replaced by Gavaskar following a 3-0 series loss to West Indies.

Azharuddin was relatively safe during his tenure because he didn't have any contender for the job. But then he was fixed forever by the match-fixing controversy. "Master Blaster" Sachin Tendulkar's days as Captain were nothing short of disaster. He had to forgo the mantle twice in his otherwise illustrious career.

Saurav Ganguly took to Captaincy like fish to water. The "Prince of Kolkotta" was an instant hit with press and public. His initial years were all about a gutsy young man coming up to lift a team from the debris of match-fixing and then teach them how to stand up to the white man! How I remember we all adored Ganguly when he was downright spiteful towards the Aussies. Then came his bad times, poor form and Greg Chappelle. The Prince was now a "Pauper".

How we all wanted Dada thrown out and be replaced by Dravid, that "Great Wall of India" who was responsible for most of Dada's wins abroad. And we got Dravid for Captain. Soon he was winning all over. A record breaking seventeen wins on a row while chasing! Every team in view was demolished. Dada was forgotten and we were almost a world-beating team. And then came one debacle in a ODI series in the Caribbean. And all the usual suspects were back with "I told you so" theories. Dada was back and India went onto lose the 2007 World Cup in first round. Dravid's honeymoon was over too! His form too was dwindling.

The infamous tour of England in 2007 was the last straw the gentleman Dravid was ready to take. He resigned and left a huge question mark about why he resigned after winning two test series abroad!

When Sachin wisely decided to stay out of race, Captaincy went to "The Smiling Assassin" Kumble only because there was none else to take it. Kumble carried himself with utmost dignity. Though he didn't win the series down under, he won the hearts of millions for his sheer guts and nature. In the middle of this all, Mahendar Singh Dhoni had gradually climbed up the ladder and suddenly went on to win the T-20 World Cup with a bunch of youngsters who had nothing to lose. Ever since, the pressure was mounting on Kumble. Now people wanted Anil to retire. One ordinary series against Australia and wins in tests captained by Dhoni were enough for our "Pundit's. They were asking Kumble the question. They were telling, "You should quit while people ask WHY and not WHEN". The great gentleman that he is, Anil called it a day!

Now we were a jubilant lot. We finally had a Captain who was going to make India the best team in the world. Miles and miles of articles were written about Dhoni's instinct, wisdom, tact, talent and his ability to win from difficult positions. To give credit to the young man, he definitely was brave and played to win. But so many of his follies were glossed over by the Victory march of a team on a roll! So it was time for Dhoni "Dhamaka".

India went to 2009 T-20 World Cup as favorites. For the first time in living memory. But one man had his heart in the right place. Ravi Shastri had predicted India will need nothing short of a miracle to do an encore! Well, the Sehwag episode, boycott of the media and his perceived arrogance had put Dhoni in an unenviable position. If he won, he was expected to do that. If he lost, "We told you so" men were always there. So, now that he has lost and his team demoralized, the "We told you so" brigade is back!

Dhoni has wilted under pressure of late. His batting is a pale shadow of his old self. In fact, he is batting worse than Rahul Dravid at his worst. He can't even rotate strike now. Dhoni ousted Dravid from ODI team for exactly the same reason. Dhoni's wicket-keeping too is no better than that of Dravid today! How Dhoni will face this is anybody's guess.

This can be a turning point for the Captain as well as his team. Which way will it turn, time alone will tell! It is Dhoni's turn now!