What more can Dhoni do? Time to step aside?

Mahendra Singh Dhoni. The man with the Midas touch. Well, until recently atleast. The poster boy of Indian Cricket over the last few years or so, he has had success at every possible level as a captain. Dhoni has had everything that he could ask for – In 2007, the T20 World Cup. In 2009, India was crowned No.1 in the ICC Test Rankings. In 2010, he led CSK to the titles of the IPL and the CLT20. In 2011, India won the ICC ODI World Cup under him. And his inspired captaincy ensured that CSK retained the IPL trophy in 2011.

As a captain, what more does he have left to achieve? After having accomplished so much in such a short span of time, does he still possess the same hunger and determination that he had when he started off as captain? Or is he making that one grave mistake that no one can ever afford to make - not giving one hundred percent?

Ever since he had captaincy bestowed upon him, he’s been a tearaway success. Playing 43 Test matches as skipper, leading the team to 20 victories and losing just 12 is a record that most would be proud of. What is shocking, though, is the fact that starting from the disastrous England tour in 2011, India has lost 9 of its last 16 Tests. In ODIs, he’s fared far better. He has had a win percentage of about 56 in his 130 matches in command, which has witnessed just a slight drop to 52 following the 2011 World Cup. Acceptable.

There’s no doubting his batting skills. Run making seems to come to him as easily as he breathes. ODI cricket has been his forte, and an average of 52.28 defines his career in this format. He absorbs pressure like a sponge, and can bat at any position with the same flamboyance, style and efficiency. He’s played the role of the innings builder, the ultimate saviour, the professional finisher – all with tremendous success.

The real concern, however, is his Test record. As a batsman, he holds on his place by the skin of his teeth. His Test career has been plagued with inconsistency, and he has never lived up to his potential. In ODIs, he’s played one jaw dropping innings after another. In Tests, however, time and again he makes jaws drop by losing his wicket in a shockingly irresponsible manner. Also, his commitment level towards Tests is debatable. As Sharada Ugra recently stated, he’s never given us the slightest hint that Tests matter as much to him as other formats. As early in his career as 2008, he conveniently skipped the Test series against Sri Lanka, while choosing to play all the 16 matches for his franchise in the IPL which preceded the Tests. His captaincy in the longest format is mediocre and uninspiring and his batting, disappointing.

So, why is he still the captain? What is making him stick on? After all, there is only so much one can do. Dhoni seems to have done it all already. Post India’s loss to England in Kolkata this year, he said that in his eyes, stepping down at a time like this was like running away from responsibility. Well, it’s a pretty thing to say. It makes all the right noises when it falls on the gullible ears of us die-hard Indian fans. But is that really why Dhoni is still at the helm of affairs?

Recently, Mohinder Amarnath famously alleged that the current selection committee doesn’t have the guts to drop Dhoni, and Captain Marvel (arguably a redundant title now) is surviving due to the immense generosity of the Board President. Now, Dhoni himself is a mere mortal. Being the captain of the Indian cricket team does come with uncountable perks. The fact that the massive endorsement deals always come that much easier to a captain than to anyone else can never be too far from one’s mind. Maybe he believes in the age old saying that any publicity is good publicity. After all, always managing to stay in the news and being the center of media attention is one thing that comes attached to the tag of being Indian captain.

Well, maybe I’m being too harsh. Maybe Dhoni wants to do it all over again. Give India its No. 1 ICC Test Ranking again. Win the ICC ODI World Cup again. Bring the T20 World Cup back to India. And as a typical emotional and sentimental Indian cricket fan, I want to give him the benefit of doubt. Give him a little leeway.

Letting our superheroes go has never been our strong point.

Buck up, or step down, Dhoni. You owe it to the country.