If one ever wondered where Test Cricket got its name, one only has to follow India’s tour in Australia. This beautiful version of the game tests the ability of the players to the truest level. Being in your element for an hour or a few lucky hits can’t win you games here, a player has to find the strength to sustain through the ebb and flow of focus and have the supreme skill and patience to slowly grind the opposition. Apart from the skill though, Test Cricket also tests the character like no other format can. Such are the tests and crossroads that MS Dhoni finds himself and his team in. It is not just a test for Dhoni the Captain, but also for Dhoni the person.
Two issues come to mind when we think of Dhoni in Australia. First and foremost is that he has painfully proved that he is a limited-overs Captain. Second, and what remains to be seen, is whether or not Dhoni can have it in him to accept, learn and take corrective measures. Yes, he has got an issue to address, but would he have the fortitude and attitude to accept it and adapt?
His shortcomings in the longer format as a Captain are embedded within the nature of the game itself. In limited overs, A, the field set is pretty much imposed these days with power plays, so aggression is not a choice but imposed, and B, saving boundaries tends to become the primary focus of the Captain. For a team like India where batsmen come to the party more often than not (on flat pitches, that is), Dhoni can back his team to win most games when the asking rate is 6 or thereabouts. Test Cricket doesn’t allow Captains the luxury to hang back, because batsmen are not playing for quick runs but for building partnerships. Dhoni is a T20 Captain who has grown to Tests and not the other way around. Hanging back and waiting for batsmen to make mistakes can win you limited overs games, but more often than not, this strategy takes Test matches away from you.
Why this is a huge test for Dhoni the Captain is because in places like Australia, England and South Africa, India’s batsmen cannot compensate like they do in India. And so, one sees performances that completely defy everything about Indian Cricket: its high rankings, Demigod batsmen and the general chest-thumping of its fans and commentators.
Furthermore, Test Cricket promises you drama on multiple levels. Apart from the Captaincy, this juncture of Dhoni’s career is also the stiffest test of Dhoni the person. Dhoni’s accomplishments as a Captain have come thick and fast, to an extent that it would take a long time to find another Captain in recent times that can measure up to his statistics. Thanks to the IPL wins, Champions League crowns, T-20 world championship, #1 Test ranking and even the 50 over World Cup win, Dhoni is on a pedestal like we haven’t known before. Commentators, fans, experts and almost everyone else has put him there.
When you spend a long time up there, it has got to start feeling like home. The true test of the person behind this captain will be having the ability to step down and take corrective measures. Yes, to attack with bowling is something he has to get used to, since he has spent bulk of his career captaining a side with severely depleted bowling resources. On tough oversees tours, it’s not just the ability to learn but also the speed with which it is accomplished that can decide the result. It is key to accept that there is something to be learnt though.
Does accomplishing a lot without failure robs the ability to take criticism? R Ashwin with 5 test matches, and Rohit Sharma with a grand total of 0 test matches; it is embarrassing that they are the ones sent out to face the press after an abysmal day of Cricket. The times when Dhoni did decide to come out, barely ever were the questionable decisions discussed, or the issue addressed.
India has gone from the highest of the highs, to the lowest of the lows in a blink of an eye. Dhoni the Captain, and more importantly, Dhoni the person needs to turn things around. On the field and off it.
Taking the issue by the horns is the call of the hour. Hiding behind amateurs and having a deep point is not going to cut it anymore.
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