Dhoni as Captain: To be or not to be?

As the disastrous period of coach Greg Chappell culminated with the Indian team crashing out in the first round of the 2007 World Cup and the then captain Rahul Dravid resigned from his post after the England tour in the same year, the search for a new baton holder became the most debated topic. With the big three Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid opting out of the inaugural Twenty20 World Cup, the name of Mahendra Singh Dhoni, reportedly backed by Tendulkar, came out of the blue.

Then miraculously, he led a young Indian team to victory in the tournament and took over in the 50 overs arena too. Anil Kumble, at the fag end of his career, was made the skipper of the test side but quite inevitably Dhoni took over the reigns of the Test side as well. This was the start of an era that saw the Indian cricket reach new heights as they reached the pinnacle in the longer version and the crowning moment being – becoming the World Champions in the 2011 World cup.

Unlike Ganguly, who was aggressive and in your face, Dhoni was amazingly calm in stormy situations and kept his emotions to himself. Unlike Tendulkar, he didn’t let the pressure of captaincy affect his performance, a man of the match effort in the World Cup final being testimony to that. Being a street-smart cricketer and an acute reader of the game, he backed his instincts and made some baffling decisions in the field, which more often than not paid off; most famous of them being the last over given to Joginder Sharma in the 07′ Twenty20 world cup final. Admittedly, he had modern day greats in the batting line up and world class spinners at his command, but it was his man management skills in leading the seniors that drew a lot of applause. Even in the IPL, he was in command despite big names like Mike Hussey, Muralitharan etc. around him, as he led Chennai to the finals three times in four attempts.

But since the frenzy night of the World Cup final, the legend of the skipper Dhoni has taken quite a beating. After a below par performance in the West Indies, whitewashes in the England and Australia Test series which were supposed to be the biggest test for the world champions, have raised many a questions against Dhoni’s tactics. The ‘unconventional’ decisions have suddenly stopped paying off, making him look foolish and with injuries and the famed batting line up on decline, Dhoni has been clearly short on ideas. His strategy of going defensive at the early sight of pressure was severely criticized.

Like he himself said during the English tour, everything that could have gone wrong, has gone wrong. As if the on field troubles were not enough, news of rifts within the team only deepens the crisis. With media reports doing rounds that opener Virender Sehwag and Dhoni are not seeing each other eye to eye on a number of issues, the BCCI had to intervene and say that all is well in the team.

With a big chunk of the team set to be replaced by the next generation, the selectors will have another dilemma to deal with. Is the time up for skipper Dhoni? With Dhoni himself stating he might discontinue in one of the three formats of the game in two years’ time, is it time to get someone else to do the job. While Dhoni’s temperament while chasing and big hitting abilities makes him almost indispensable as a player, there are a few options who might get the nod if the man with the Midas touch is to step down.

Current vice captain Virender Sehwag, by virtue of being the senior most player who might play in the 2015 World cup, till very recent seemed to be a likely candidate but his way of handling the part timers and lack of imagination in setting fields leaves a lot to be desired. With his fitness already being an issue, the drought of runs in the current tour may mean that he would struggle to hold on to his place in the XI outside the subcontinent. His Delhi mate Gautam Gambhir too has hit a rough patch after the high of 2009 but what sets him apart are higher standards of fitness, the qualities of a stubborn fighter and a good cricketing brain which is evident from the way he paces his innings.

Also in the fray will be Yuvraj Singh, who at the moment is undergoing treatment for cancer. Yuvraj was singled out as a future captain very early in his career but indifferent form, especially in the longer version and injuries proved to be a setback. Keeping the future in mind, Suresh Raina and Virat Kohli might also figure in the discussion. While Raina has the experience of captaining the one day sides in Zimbabwe and West Indies, Kohli had led the under 19 team to glory a few years back.

Or else the selectors might still stick to the ‘Captain Cool’. Given the reluctance of selectors to take big decisions and the fact that the Indian team will be playing almost all its matches at home for the next couple of years, Dhoni may be persisted with. In familiar home conditions, the batting will once again return to its very best and with Dhoni’s famed ability to strangle the opposition with smart use of his spin resources, the Indian team can begin its journey towards resurrection.

The ball is now in the selectors’ court.