Mahendra Singh Dhoni is many things. He is one of the finest limited overs cricketers in history, one of the most successful Indian captains and the calmest individual on the field. But one thing he definitely isn’t is an inspirational leader.
On the eve of the first ODI against Australia, Dhoni decided to moan about the lack of quality players coming through the ranks. And after India lost the match, where they put up a decent total and took the game to the last over, the wicketkeeper trained his guns at spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja who bled 129 runs in 18 overs.
Those statements are difficult to digest because it’s not as if the Indian team is down in the pits, gasping for breath and getting walloped every match. This is almost the same set of players who brought the South Africans to their knees during the Test series at home. The core of the team can’t be excellent one day and ordinary the other.
What is clear is that this is not a man in charge of his team or confident of his players’ abilities. Here is a player at the end of his career and seemingly frustrated at how results are not going in his favour, while the same bunch of players perform well under the leadership of Virat Kohli in Tests. Even Dhoni must be able to see that the boys play with a lot more purpose when Kohli is calling the shots. They are always on the offensive, look energetic and feed off each other’s enthusiasm.
And that’s because Kohli gives them complete freedom to have faith in their abilities and give it their all on the field. While Kohli makes players feel like a million dollars, Dhoni somehow manages to devalue them with such curt remarks.
According to Dhoni, India used to get ready-made players in the 1980s and 1990s and that’s not the case anymore.
While it is true that India has been struggling when it comes to producing top quality fast bowlers, the batting and spin departments seem reasonably well stocked. Players like Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Ashwin, Jadeja and Murali Vijay (in Tests) have proven their value over the years and pacers like Umesh Yadav and Varun Aaron have enough talent in them to be given an extended run. But instead of giving his complete backing to the players, Dhoni is doing the opposite.
One only needs to look at how quick Yadav bowled on the flat Delhi wicket against the South Africans in the fourth Test to realise that it’s the captain’s job to get the most out of his resources.
There is no doubt that the same side under Kohli will sport a different look. It might not win substantially more than Dhoni’s team, but it will be a lot more competitive and will not be burdened by the negativity of its captain.
Dhoni is set to lead the Indians at the World T20 at home. He has already put his faith in ageing players like Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh and Ashish Nehra, showing how much belief he has in the youngsters. And with his latest jibes, Dhoni is alienating those whom he should be inspiring.
The 34-year-old is losing his grip over the squad. India shouldn’t expect this team to perform any miracles because the players cannot be expected to go above and beyond for a captain who doesn’t value them.
