Former Indian cricket captain Sourav Ganguly wants the selectors to take a call on Mahendra Singh Dhoni. “Does he have the ability in the next four years to see India into the World Cup in 2019?” Ganguly asked. Is The Prince of Calcutta the only one raising questions about Dhoni’s future? No way! Going by the Indian limited-over captain’s recent run of form in the Indian Premier League (2016), there are others who don’t see Dhoni carrying on for long.
Megastars feel the heat after a prolonged run of success. Look around, and you get the answer. Be it a film star or a cricketer, a time comes when critics cash in on the slightest of opportunities to write their obituary.
Dhoni who carries the reputation of being the world’s best finisher seems to be a pale shadow of the superstar he was. As he fails to take Rising Pune Supergiants (RPS) home against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on Tuesday, May 10, even a Dhoni fanatic might reconcile to the fact that he is entering the twilight zone of his career.
Of late, the best finisher in the world hasn’t been in his own self be it as a captain or a player. As of now he has 212 runs in 10 innings at an average of 30.28 in the IPL. Bowlers he would have toyed with in the past are getting the better of him. The age-old ploy to drag the game to the last over is not paying off. With 8 losses in 11 games, RPS’ hopes of a play-off berth are smashed.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say Dhoni got a long rope. After the 7-0 loss to England and Australia in 2011-12 under his captaincy, any other skipper would have been fired. Yet, Dhoni got away thanks to his Godfather N Srinivasan who was helming the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). As per reports selectors wanted Virat Kohli to take over, but it was vetoed by Srinivasan. And nobody dared to question the BCCI president.
Not too much to boast in Test matches after the 7-0 mishap, Dhoni sparkled occasionally in the truncated versions of the game till late 2015. Defeat to South Africa in the One-day and T20 Internationals at home and drubbing at the hands of Australia in the ODI series earned him flak, but the T20 series win Down Under and the Asia Cup triumph courtesy Kohli’s one-man show added to the list of India’s victories under Dhoni.
However, post India’s semi-final loss to West Indies in the ICC T20 World Cup, there are speculations that the person who got India two World Cups might be counting his days in international cricket.
The IPL, 2016 would have been the perfect occasion for Dhoni to prove his critics wrong. But with his team being out of contention, the worrying signs on his face are visible. Kohli who took charge as the Indian Test captain after Dhoni's retirement from the five-day format, is in the form of his life. Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), the team Kohli leads in the IPL isn’t out of reckonings yet and even if it fails to make it to the play-offs, Kohli’s acumen as a leader shouldn’t be written off. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that Kohli, the captain has come of age. He shows aggression and has the ability to carry the entire team on his own shoulders, something he has proved over and over again.
A genius like Dhoni is born once-in-a-blue moon. True, the former ticket collector’s rise to the top is a rags-to-riches story. But Mahi as he is nicknamed should introspect lest he throws himself at the sympathy of experts and cricket fans. Knowing him, he can still pull off a miracle or two, but for the first time in his career, Dhoni is looking vulnerable and helpless. The fire in the belly may still be there, but one dreads the sight of India’s most successful captain being forced to hang up his boots. Doesn't he deserve to go on his own terms?
Samuel Ferris must have been wondering whether he committed a sin by asking Dhoni about his retirement plans after India’s exit from the T20 World Cup. But more than a month down the line, he must be smiling sitting back in his room. By the way, who is Ferris? He is the Australian journalist who was ‘casually’ confronted by Dhoni for mooting the ‘all-important’ question.
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