It's time for Kohli to replace Dhoni as captain

October 10, 2012
kohli_replace


In 2003, once they were knocked out of a home World Cup after failing to read a piece of paper right, South Africa wagered on a new direction for its cricket team.


Graeme Smith had played all of eight Test matches, was 22 years old and although he averaged 55, his early reputation suggested his bark was more incisive than his bite. He was replacing Shaun Pollock who had done little wrong in his three years at the helm - winning 14 of 26 Tests and 59 of 92 ODIs. He had commanded the ship with grace in the aftermath of the match-fixing turbulence and was all of 30. Surely, a brain freeze on a Duckworth-Lewis equation wasn't enough reason to show him the door?


South Africa though weren't swayed by the numbers. When Pollock replaced Hansie Cronje, he was the right man for the wrong time. He was now the good man at the wrong time. From his innate decency, South Africa needed to graduate to a new language. Its cricketers needed a new man to re-ignite their joy of playing cricket. Smith was a young and passionate, talented and ambitious. He may or may not have been ready to be captain, but his country's cricket team needed his kind in-charge.


India faces a similar dilemma at this point and must make a similar choice. MS Dhoni has the numbers to stay on at the helm, but appears to have lost the sparkle that once defined his leadership. His decision-making has been consistently feeble and often frustrating over the last 18 months. His poise in explaining away defeats was once endearing but increasingly sounds like a shallow play on words. Nonchalance is admirable but when the setbacks pile up - eight straight overseas defeats and three consecutive World Twenty20s without a place in the semis - the skipper can't swat the gnawing questions aside.


Theorising about cricket captaincy is one of the great pastimes of the game. Must he lead by example at all times? Must he first command a place as a player? Must he be tactically sound or simply rely on instinct? Must he inspire and cajole? Or must he merely rely on a nudge and a quiet word? It is unlike any other job in the world, sporting or otherwise. You are captain one day and a mere player on another. One day you lead, on another you are led. One day you could move a man from third man to point, the next you could be following a similar diktat.


In Dhoni's case several boxes are being rapidly unchecked. Over the last year, he has first been picked as captain and is then somehow fit into the XI, especially in Test and Twenty20 cricket. Over the seven Tests he played in England and Australia, Dhoni scored a mere 322 runs at an average of 27. In the World Twenty20, he batted all of 51 balls in the entire competition, when several occasions demanded he promote himself in the batting order. In the longest and shortest formats of the game, Dhoni is captain first and wicketkeeper-batsman almost as an afterthought.


Power equations in Indian cricket have meant Dhoni's position has been unquestioned. Murmurs suggest a move to remove him as captain for the Asia Cup immediately after the tour of Australia was scuttled. His writ is the final word on marginal selections - RP Singh's sudden recall and Suresh Raina's re-instatement in the Test team are glaring examples. Five years in the job with all the machinations around Indian cricket have meant Dhoni is now conditioned to being captain first and all else later.


But the aura has faded as the results have nosedived.


If only for his own good, Dhoni the cricketer now needs to be disengaged from Dhoni the captain. He must be free to fight with claimants to the spot of India's No.1 wicket-keeper batsman. He must re-discover the joy of clattering the cricket ball into orbit, much in the manner when he first emerged. He must be allowed to relish the contest at par with the pretenders to his place in the squad. Tactics and player management should no longer be his lookout, his mind and body must be liberated to play cricket. There comes a time when cricketers should be cricketers alone- and with Dhoni that time is now.
It won't take a genius to find the successor. Much like Smith in 2003, Virat Kohli is a feisty young man with the world at his feet. He is the first name on all Indian teams these days - Test, ODI and Twenty20. His tears at the end of the World Twenty20 were a reminder that failure must rankle before it is explained. That India's cricket team impacts its followers and must do the same to its players. Does he have the nous and the tactical acumen? He may or may not, but unless he gets the opportunity one will never know. India starts an arduous journey in late 2013 in South Africa which will take them to New Zealand, England and Australia over the next year. The next Indian captain shouldn't start in the job with that itinerary staring at him.


The opportunity to blood Kohli is now - make him captain starting with the Test series against England. He is the new language India needs - one that will lift them from this listlessness.




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News Network
June 13,2020

Melbourne, Jun 13: Former Australia wicketkeeper-batsman Adam Gilchrist and current opener David Warner have expressed gratitude to two Indian students for helping people in the country during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Gilchrist thanked Sharon Varghese, an Indian student who did her Bachelors in Nursing from the University of Wollongong.

Varghese has been was working on the frontline along with other health care workers to look after the residents of aged-care during the global health crisis.

"She gave up her time to work as an aged-care worker throughout that time. Sharon, I want to say congratulations on the selfless act and for wanting to thank people in Australia because you have enjoyed three and a half years living here. And that’s wonderful to hear," Gilchrist said in a video message.

"Just want to let you know, all of Australia, all of India and more importantly, your family will be so very proud of your efforts."

In another short video, Warner thanked Queensland-based Indian student, Shreyas Sheth.

"Namaste. I am here to say thank you to Shreyas Sheth who is doing selfless work to help others during the COVID crisis. Shreyas is doing his Masters in Computer Science at the University of Queensland and he has been part of University’s outreach program, preparing and delivering food packets to students in need right now," Warner said in the video.

"So I just want to say ‘good on ya’. I am sure your mum and dad and India are proud of you. Keep up the great work."

The videos were shared by Austrade India official twitter account, which have hit almost 10 thousand views in last one week.

Apart from the two cricketers, another Social Media Influencer Amy Aela also sent her thank you note to Liya, an Indian student from Griffith university for her work in providing mental health support to communities in Australia during the pandemic.

"Liya I just want to thank you...we definately need more people like you...just remember that Australia is so so proud of you, India is proud of you..please keep up the good work," Aela said.

Former Australian footballer Craig Foster also sent his thank you message to another Indian origin nurse Arushi from Deakin University. More than 100,000 Indian students are studying in Australia, currently making them one of the biggest cohorts of international students in the country.

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Agencies
January 25,2020

Headingley, Jan 25: England have become the first team in the world to score 500,000 runs in Test cricket. They achieved the feat during the ongoing fourth and final Test against South Africa being played at The Wanderers.

On Friday - the opening day of the Test match -- England captain Joe Root's single through the covers took the Three Lions to a landmark 500,000 run-mark in the longest format of the game. They achieved the feat in their 1022nd Test match.

Australia comes second in the list, with 432,706 runs in 830 Tests. India, meanwhile, are third, with 273,518 runs in 540 Tests, followed by West Indies (270,441 runs in 545 Tests).

In the third Test played at St George's Park in Port Elizabeth, England had become the first team to play 500 Test matches on foreign soil. Australia are the second team to play the most away Test with 404 matches they have played so far.

India have played 268 Tests on foreign soil in which they have won 51, lost 113 and 104 have ended in a draw.

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Agencies
February 23,2020

Madrid, Feb 23: Lionel Messi scored four goals and Barcelona reclaimed the top spot in the La Liga as Real Madrid suffered a surprise defeat by Levante last night, a week before the Clasico.

Madrid's nightmare afternoon was made worse by another injury to Eden Hazard, who was forced off in the second half of their 1-0 defeat in Valencia and is now doubtful to face Manchester City on Wednesday in the Champions League.

"It doesn't look good," said Real coach Zinedine Zidane afterwards.

Messi, meanwhile, ridiculed talk of a goal drought by scoring four against Eibar after four games without one, while emergency signing Martin Braithwaite made two assists off the bench, teeing up Messi and then Arthur Melo in injury-time.

Their 5-0 rout, coupled with Madrid's defeat, means Barca move back to the summit of La Liga, two points ahead of Zidane's side ahead of next Saturday's showdown at the Santiago Bernabeu.

It amounts to a considerable shift in momentum, with Barcelona away at Napoli in the first leg of the Champions League last 16 on Tuesday.

Madrid host City a day later and the plan had been for Hazard to regain form and fitness in what was only his second start since returning from three months out with a broken right foot.

But the Belgian sat in the dug-out with an ice pack around the same foot after going off and Zidane suggested it was a repeat injury after the match. "It can be weak where you've had an injury," he said.

For Madrid, playing catch-up again next weekend will be a particularly heavy psychological blow, especially given the series of off-field problems engulfing Barcelona in recent weeks.

Yet on the pitch, Messi showed no sign of distraction as the 32-year-old completed the second fastest of his now 36 league hat-tricks, after less than 40 minutes at Camp Nou.

"There's nothing left to do but stand up and applaud," Eibar wrote on Twitter afterwards.

"I won't wash my kit after hugging Messi," said Braithwaite.

Braithwaite's arrival from Leganes drew criticism after Barcelona capitalised on a curious La Liga rule that allows clubs to sign outside of the transfer window if they have lost a player to serious injury.

Brilliant Messi

Messi quickly got to work, scoring a brilliant first goal in the 14th minute after collecting the ball centrally, around 30 yards out. He had three Eibar defenders in front of him but found a way through, nutmegging Anaitz Arbilla before chipping delicately into the corner.

The second came in the 37th minute as Sergio Busquets found Arturo Vidal, who feathered a flick into Messi's path. Messi surged forward, past his stumbling opponents, and fired in.

His third, three minutes later, was the simplest of the trio and arrived only after he tried to play in Antoine Griezmann. His generosity was rewarded as a sloppy Griezmann touch meant the ball cannoned back to Messi, who apologetically poked in.

Coach Quique Setien was able to take Griezmann off with 18 minutes left and introduce Braithwaite for his debut. Braithwaite's first contribution was a skewed cross but things improved immeasurably from there, as two passes across goal gave Messi his fourth and Arthur his first.

Madrid were never in control of a chaotic contest against Levante but might have taken the lead if Hazard had done better with a long ball over the top from Marcelo, which he failed to control and then scuffed into the hands of Aitor Fernandez.

He limped off and Madrid lost their way, finally punished with 11 minutes left by a straight ball through to Morales. Luka Modric, exposed on the right side of Madrid's defence, was unable to recover and Morales caught Courtois by surprise by firing early past the goalkeeper and into the top corner.

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