Is MS Dhoni the right man to lead Team India?

October 4, 2012

dhoni_right_man

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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News Network
May 15,2020

New Delhi, May 15: Former England skipper David Gower feels Sourav Ganguly has the right "political skills" to lead the ICC one day and he has already displayed that as BCCI president, which is a "far tougher job".

The elegant left-hander is very impressed with Ganguly's leadership abilities and believes that he has what it takes to head the global body in the future.

"One thing I have learnt over the years is that if you are going to run BCCI, you need to be many, many things. Having a reputation like he (Ganguly) has is a very good start, but you need to be a very deft politician.

"You need to have control of a million different things," Gower said ahead of "Q20", a unique chat show for the fans presented by 'GloFans'.

Gower reckons being president of the BCCI is the toughest job imaginable in world cricket.

"And of course, you need to be responsible for a game that is followed by, I mean, should we say a billion people here in India," he said.

"We all know about the immense following for cricket in India. So it is indeed a wonderful thing to behold. Sourav has the toughest task imaginable in charge of BCCI, but so far I would say the signs are very good.

"He has listened, given his own opinion and has pulled strings gently," he said.

Political skills are a must in administration and that's where Gower finds his fellow left-hander ticking all the boxes.

"He is a very, very good man and has those political skills. He has the right attitude and can keep things together and will do good job. And if you do a good job as BCCI chief in the future, who knows?

"But I would actually say the more important job, to be honest, is running BCCI. Being head of ICC is an honour, there is a lot that can be done by ICC, but actually look at the rankings, look at where the power is heading up. BCCI is definitely the bigger job," he said.

On the cricketing front, Gower believes World Test Championship has given the format much-needed context.

"The idea of this World Test Championship has come about for one very simple reason that people are worried about the survival of Tests. Back in the seventies, eighties, I don't think we needed context to be fair.

"Test cricket was very much more obviously the most important format and if there was anything to be judged by, it was the performances in Test matches both as an individual and as a team.

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News Network
June 19,2020

Jun 19: The BCCI is open to reviewing its sponsorship policy for the next cycle but has no plans to end its association with current IPL title sponsor Vivo as the money coming in from the Chinese company is helping India's cause and not the other way round, board treasurer Arun Dhumal said on Friday. Anti-China sentiments are running high in India following the border clash between the two countries at Galwan valley earlier this week. The first skirmish at the India-China border in more than four decades left at least 20 Indian soldiers dead. Since then, calls have been made to boycott Chinese products.

But Dhumal said Chinese companies sponsoring an Indian event like the IPL only serve his country's interests.

The BCCI gets Rs 440 crore annually from Vivo and the five-year deal ends in 2022.

"When you talk emotionally, you tend to leave the rationale behind. We have to understand the difference between supporting a Chinese company for a Chinese cause or taking help from Chinese company to support India's cause," Dhumal said.

"When we are allowing Chinese companies to sell their products in India, whatever money they are taking from Indian consumer, they are paying part of it to the BCCI (as brand promotion) and the board is paying 42 per cent tax on that money to the Indian government. So, that is supporting India's cause and not China's," he argued.

Oppo, a mobile phone brand like Vivo, was sponsoring the Indian cricket team until September last year when Bengaluru-based educational technology Byju's start-up replaced the Chinese company.

Dhumal said he is all for reducing dependence on Chinese products but as long as its companies are allowed to do business in India, there is no harm in them sponsoring an Indian brand like the IPL.

"If they are not supporting the IPL, they are likely to take that money back to China. If that money is retained here, we should be happy about it. We are supporting our government with that money (by paying taxes on it)."

"If I am giving a contract to a Chinese company to build a cricket stadium, then I am helping the Chinese economy. GCA built the world's largest cricket stadium at Motera and that contract was given to an Indian company (L&T)," he said.

"Cricketing infrastructure worth thousands of crores was created across country and none of the contract was awarded to a Chinese company."

Dhumal went on to say the BCCI is spoilt for choice when it comes to attracting sponsors, whether Indian or Chinese or from any other nation.

"If that Chinese money is coming to support Indian cricket, we should be okay with it. I am all for banning Chinese products as an individual, we are there to support our government but by getting sponsorship from Chinese company, we are helping India's cause."

"We can get sponsorship money from non-Chinese companies also including Indian firms. We can support our players any way but the idea is when they are allowed to sell their products here, it is better that part of money comes back to the Indian economy."

"The BCCI is not giving money to the Chinese, it is attracting on the contrary. We should make decision based on rationale rather than emotion," he added.

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Agencies
March 25,2020

Lausanne, Mar 25: The World Archery has hailed as a 'brave decision' the International Olympic Committee (IOC) move to postpone the 2020 Tokyo Olympics until next year due to coronavirus pandemic.

"We commend the conscientious and brave decision taken by Tokyo 2020 and the International Olympic Committee to delay this summer's Games in the face of an unprecedented challenge to humanity," Ugur Erdener, the World Archery president, said in an official statement.

The decision to postpone the Summer Olympics was confirmed by the IOC, on Tuesday, after the organising body for the event and Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe agreed to reschedule the quadrennial event in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"This is not an easy situation, especially for the athletes who had been training hard for Tokyo 2020. I hope that everyone understands why this decision has been made and I urge archers around the world to retain hope and reset for this new timetable," he added.

The IOC has, however, said that the original name of Tokyo 2020 will remain intact irrespective of the fact that it will take place next year.

The Tokyo Olympic Games were slated to be held from July 24 to August 9.

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