As a nation, we tend to censure our cricketing heroes as earnestly as we celebrate them. A talented player often goes from icon to villain and back on a weekly basis, depending on the opponent and venue. When it comes to cricket, public sentiment is as fickle as Twenty20.
Remarkably, there is one player who has seemed immune to the ebbs and flows of public perception. It's not Sachin Tendulkar but MS Dhoni, who has now been at the helm of cricketing affairs for nearly half a decade. The captain has scripted some remarkable highs and stood mute spectator to some terrible lows. Throughout, he has enjoyed the confidence of both the volatile masses and his calculating bosses in the BCCI.
There are indications, however, that the longer-than-usual rope given to Dhoni may be fraying at the edges. India's failure to make the semifinals in three successive World T20 tournaments - following Dhoni's meteoric rise to stardom in 2007, when the format was in its infancy - has drawn out the swords.
Some pointed questions are now being raised about Dhoni's leadership credentials in T20s and Tests. Sri Lanka was just the latest instance when India hasn't looked the part. Critics say that over the past year or so, some of Dhoni's bowling changes, field placements and choice of playing XI have defied logic.
Just like on Tuesday, when India played three seamers against South Africa after watching Pakistan bowl 18 overs of spin. Dhoni didn't bowl specialist spinner Ashwin when qualification was within India's grasp. His field placements and failure to stop the singles continued to frustrate.
"No captain in the history of Indian cricket has enjoyed as long a rope as Dhoni has," former India skipper Bishan Singh Bedi told TOI.
"Nowhere in the world will you find a captain being retained after losing eight away Tests on the trot. He is negative and superstitious. Tactically, he is nothing great. If there are selection issues, Dhoni has allowed them to fester."
On the face of it, India were unlucky in Sri Lanka. They have, after all, risen to No. 2 in the T20 rankings, won Super 8 games (two of them) for the first time since 2007, bowled out opponents four times out of five, and lost just once to Australia. The format, too, is notoriously difficult to tame.
To the discerning eye, though, India never looked like winning the tournament. Dhoni's out-of-the-box tactics, which look so good when they come off, are failing to deliver more often than not. Worse, a once frank and fearless leader now seems to be hiding behind excuses about rain, bad luck and bad form. The stamp of quiet assurance and occasional tactical masterstoke has gone missing.
Former India spinner Maninder Singh said, "When he was winning, Dhoni gave the impression he was a thinking cricketer. Now that he has started losing, he appears confused. As a captain you don't give lame excuses like blaming the rain. He knew keeping South Africa under 120 would have been tough, yet he threw the ball to Rohit Sharma. There was no variation. He also opened the batting with two left-handers and then with two left-arm seamers in one match."
Admittedly, there are issues beyond the captain. India's bowling is a rag-tag combination at best; a nightmare in mediocrity at worst. The two seasoned openers have consistently failed. The middle order, without Kohli, is muddled. In spite of Dhoni's comment that the performance is Sri Lanka was "satisfactory", everyone knows India are not the best anymore.
Any reflection on the team's downward curve, though, must necessarily factor in the skipper too. Dhoni, as we all know, is a fantastic ODI captain. But is he the best in T20s or Tests?
In ODIs, India are the reigning world champions and Dhoni seems to enjoy playing the format. But every World T20 since the win in 2007 has been an ordinary campaign.
India have won just 16 of 31 matches overall in all T20 Internationals since Feb 2009, surprising for a nation which hosts the world's biggest T20 league, the IPL.
In Tests, India's eight losses on the trot away from home in England and Australia often showed up an unimaginative leader struggling to cope with his limited arsenal. At home, India still fancy their chances but for how long?
Shouldn't Dhoni's own 'horses for courses' policy be applicable for the captain too? What stops India from splitting the captaincy across formats like, say, England have?
"It will not work out," former India captain Dilip Vengsarkar told TOI, "There is nobody better than Dhoni. He should still lead in all three formats. He has been severely hampered by his opening pair failing. India lack a genuine pacer. There is no X-factor in this team."
Dhoni knows the scrutiny will only increase in the upcoming Tests against England and later, Australia. Defeat may not be an option. In the coming months, India's captain may discover if 'home advantage' can exist outside the field of play.
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