BackDhoni’s English test
The India-England Test series, which began on Wednesday, provides M.S.Dhoni a chance for redemption
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Soon after reaching England, M.S. Dhoni provided an interesting insight into what his approach—and India’s by extension— could be on the ongoing tour. “I was a little defensive in my batting on the last tour. My natural style is to be more aggressive, which I’ll aim to this time," he said.
That is a telling statement and may determine not just the tenor of the cricket played in the five-match Test series, but also reveal the Indian captain’s ambition to set right some matters that would have been bothering him for a while now.
For all the fame and glory he has achieved, Dhoni’s captaincy record overseas is astonishingly poor. Massive defeats in England in 2011 and Australia (2011-12) disfigure his credentials, but there are other sore points too. India have won only two Tests overseas under Dhoni—South Africa in 2010-11, and West Indies, 2011. In the West Indies, India won the series too, but then the West Indies are hardly the same force in the five-day format that they used to be 25-30 years ago.
Last season too, India lost a great opportunity to clinch the series when they toured South Africa and New Zealand. In fact, instead of a triumph, Dhoni had the tables turned on him, and his team lost in both countries. This is a riling sequence for a captain who many reckon to be the best ever from India. While Dhoni’s body of work in winning three major limited-overs tournaments (the Twenty20 World Championship in 2007, World Cup in 2011 and Champions Trophy in 2013) is unmatched, his Test record is still iffy because of the lack of wins overseas.
Unlike Alastair Cook, who is living on a razor’s edge as captain after successive defeats against Australia and Sri Lanka, Dhoni’s captaincy is not under imminent threat. But a defeat now would set tongues wagging, as they did in 2011-12 when India lost badly to England and Australia. The Test series, which began on Wednesday, provides Dhoni a chance for redemption. England have never looked more vulnerable and if India can exploit this properly, he might yet take the giant step to become India’s best performing captain. For that, he will have to bring in fresh thought and energy from the last tour.
Dhoni carries unpleasant memories of the 2011 series. India had travelled to England not just as world cup champions but also the world’s No.1 Test side. Within a few weeks, however, the aura surrounding the team was gone: India were whitewashed 0-4, surrendering the No.1 spot and a great deal of prestige.
India were a formidable side on paper then. Dhoni apart, the team included maestros and match winners like Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, V.V.S. Laxman, Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan and, for the last two Tests, Virender Sehwag. Even allowing for conditions that would help the English bowlers, it hardly seemed possible that India would be overwhelmed so comprehensively.
So what went wrong?
Given that hindsight makes for 20-20 vision, it is clear that a defensive mindset contributed the most to India’s horror story. The greater effort was to leave England without much damage, rather than try and win.
True, some unforeseen problems upset the Indian team’s calculations. Khan broke down in the first session of the first Test after dismissing openers Andrew Strauss and Cook. From a position of strength, the team slipped into agonizing helplessness. Without the spearhead, India suddenly looked bereft of any arsenal on a seamer-friendly track. So tepid was the Indian bowling that Dhoni was constrained to discard his wicketkeeping gloves and turn his arm over. This not only bespoke his frustration, but also signalled surrender.
India then gave a reprieve to Kevin Pietersen before he had reached 50, and the flamboyant stroke-maker went on to score a double century. Coming as all this did on the first couple of days of the first Test, any psychological advantage that may have existed was gone. From thereon, India hurtled to a rout, each successive Test being lost by a bigger margin.
I am recalling the 2011 tour in some detail to highlight the role a captain can play. Unlike in other team sports like football or hockey, where most of the planning is done prior to a match, in cricket strategies can evolve with the passage of play, if need be with every over. Apart from devising tactics off the field, making the right selections and generally keeping the morale of his side high, a cricket captain can be an interventionist; in fact, he must be able to retain control over the proceedings on the field. Not every decision is likely to yield results, but the neglect of decision making, of intervening at the right time, of letting things roll along and hoping for the best, is a recipe for disaster.
Dhoni’s pusillanimity as captain in the 2011 series was reflected even in his batting. He eschewed the unorthodox but robust approach which defines his batsmanship and opted for the watchful path, without having the technical wherewithal to bat long hours in English conditions, and sold himself short. There is some concern that India might struggle on this tour because Dhoni leads a team that lacks the depth of experience. While true in fact, this might be to his advantage. He leads players without the baggage of mighty reputations to protect: If anything, his young players are aspiring to be recognized as world-beaters in their own right.
Ayaz Memon is a senior columnist who writes on sports and other matters.
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