Menon: Dhoni to Kohli - changing of the baton

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  • India captain: Virat Kohli.

    India had only player in the ICC Teams of The Year picked in December: pace bowler Mohamed Shami, who had a very successful World Cup, in the ODI squad. Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin was named 12th man in the Test side, no mean honour, but not quite the same thing.

    No India batsman features in the ICC’s Top 10 batsmen as I write this piece, though Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, who made a splendid comeback against South Africa, are ranked 2 and 7 among bowlers.

    – SAvENG: England beat South Africa by 241 runs in the first Test
    – Pakistan: PCB make Azhar Ali do u-turn over Amir
    – Sharjah: Afghanistan win clash against Zimbabwe in UAE

    – Pakistan: Yasir Shah fails doping Test

    It gets a little better in the ODI rankings where captain MS Dhoni come in at 6 and Shikhar Dhawan at 7, while Ashwin just about makes it to no. 10 among the bowlers in a list dominated by South Africans. Incidentally, Ashwin is the only Indian in the T20 rankings, for batsmen or bowlers.

    The most impressive aspect of India in the 2015 rankings is that the team is perched at no.2 in both Tests and ODIs. This contrasts starkly with the T20 rankings where one would have expected a strong showing: in fact India surprisingly lags way behind at no.7.

    I am deploying these facts to make a case that despite India not dominating ICC rankings, it has actually been the best performing side in the sport in 2015. I can hear the protests, some sniggers too, but let me explain.

    Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni.

    First though, a quick wrap of how the year panned out.

    I am not sure which was the biggest event of the year in the sport, the World Cup or the first-ever day-night Test (with a pink ball) that was played in late November in Adelaide? I will settle with the verdict that both were big hit.

    The ‘Pink Ball Revolution’ could give the five-day format the kiss of life, while the success of the World Cup could prevent the administrators from culling out the ODI format from the sport.

    Incidentally, Australia won the honours in both these events. Given the scale and hardship quotient of the event, winning the World Cup was obviously the bigger achievement. Australia won this in a canter, looking a cut above the rest in all departments of the game.

    New Zealand made a brave bid to upset them, but once removed from their own friendly home environs, the Kiwis did not look half as menacing and were beaten comfortably. All said, the Aussies triumphed in sizzling style.

    As it turned out, this was Michael Clarke’s final shot at glory. In the Ashes that ensued, the captain was fickle in form and fitness and Australia – against the odds – were eclipsed by England who had flopped so badly in the World Cup.

    Clarke, struggling with a string of low scores – and even more so with a troublesome lower back – decided that he didn’t want either the physical pain or the mounting criticism and announced his retirement.

    This was to be the first of several closures to marquee careers. Kumar Sangakarra, after stroking four centuries in the World Cup, quit mid-way through the series against India. Then, opener extraordinaire Virender Sehwag pulled the plug on his playing days, realizing that the selectors were unwilling to even look his way.

    This was followed by swing maestro Zaheer Khan saying he had had enough and then Mitchell Johnson discovered that he had lost the mojo that made him the game’s most destructive bowler in the past couple of years.

    In the dying moments of the year, Brendon McCullum announced that he would be quitting after the return series against Australia which represents a massive blow to New Zealand.

    But since that falls beyond the period under review, what’s relevant is to acknowledge how McCullum helped his country become a leading contender in all the formats of the game. He breathed fresh purpose and zest in a side that almost always seemed to lack self-belief.

    New Zealand, Australia, Pakistan had some terrific wins in 2015, but I believe that India’s performances were superior to all other sides because they could win both overseas and at home.

    There will be some argument that Sri Lankan conditions are virtually ‘home like’ for India, but that is churlish counter. The fact is no Indian team had won a series there for more than two decades.

    This was a riveting come-from-behind 2-1 win that required nerves, ambition and not a little skill. True, Sri Lanka are in the process of rebuilding, but the Indian side did not have too much Test experience either, and Virat Kohli had far less captaincy experience than Angelo Mathews.

    This triumph seemed to spur the Indian side on to bigger things in the weeks that followed. The desire to win became more robust and the mighty South Africans, the world’s top-ranked side, were routed 0-3.

    Were the pitches made to order for India’s bowlers? Of course they were, as is the trend everywhere in the world. But that was not the most important – lease aside sole – reason for India’s win. Rather, it was a better display of skills, temperament and controlled aggression.

    These two series threw up Ashwin and Ajinkya Rahane particularly as major domos in the sport currently for they delivered match-winning performances when the team needed it most.

    The third – but perhaps the biggest influence – was Kohli as captain. He may not have had as great a year with the bat as 2014, but in the leadership role on his own now, not by default, he made a massive impression.

    Test performances are still the index by which teams and players are rated, and in my view India exceeded all other sides though this might not be reflected in the ICC rankings. I am leaving T20 out of this because this format is essentially still a lottery.

    In ODIs too, India looked superb in the World Cup before running into Australia in the semi-finals. Even so, beating Pakistan and South Africa was like playing two other semi-finals besides, and tribute to the MS Dhoni’s team.

    Their ODI results were not as impressive as in the five-day format, but clubbed together, these project a side that has greater adaptability and consistency.

    Remember, Australia fared miserably in England, Pakistan and New Zealand have excelled largely at home, while South Africa have been floundering in Tests for the entire year.

    By the end of the year, India not only won a series overseas and thrashed the number 1 side, but had got their team composition just right. The current sides – for Tests and ODIs – is largely young yet experienced, boasts some hugely talented players with a wide variety of skills (particularly in the bowling) and a captain who believes that winning is everything.

    That’s a great situation in which to finish the year, even if the rankings don’t suggest India to be the best side in the world. That’s something that Kohli/Dhoni & co. must aim to set right by the end of 2016.

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