MS Dhoni scripted a new chapter in cricket
The best observation that can be made about MS Dhoni’s retirement from Test cricket is that it comes when he is at his peak and not when people had taken to wondering when he would go. It requires courage to take such decisions, and even greater courage to do so when things are going well. Of course, commentators will point out that Mr Dhoni has not exactly distinguished himself in the Test squad in recent months, and especially as captain. The Indian team has lost a bunch of Test series abroad, with the most recent being in Australia. To add to the woe, there have been reports of discord in the dressing room, with certain players at each other's throats and the captain being unable to rein in passions. There are also reports that Mr Dhoni has been unhappy with certain changes in the system which he had lorded over without much challenge: For instance, the sidelining of the coach, Duncan Fletcher, and the pre-eminence of Ravi Shastri. It is being said Mr Dhoni, having struck an excellent rapport with the former, was upset with the reshuffle, especially more so since Mr Shastri is supposed to be close to Mr Virat Kohli, who has now being given the captaincy. Of course, all these are speculations, and there may well be only a grain, and not more, of truth in them.
Yet, the developments do add to the mystery of Mr Dhoni's sudden decision to quit Test cricket — that too in the midst of an outstation tour. Given this backdrop, it is difficult to believe that he has hung up his boots simply because he felt he had had enough of Test cricket. After all, he had been performing reasonably well, if not outstandingly. His record at home is enviable; he has led the Test team to 21 wins and just three losses. But he has lost 15 Tests abroad — more than any other Indian captain. Still, it must not be forgotten that it was under his leadership that the Indian team came to occupy the topmost slot in the world Test ranking. Perhaps Mr Dhoni was upset by the criticism that he was too ‘mild' in his approach — which has led him to be often referred to as Captain Cool. Contrast this with the attention-grabbing aggression which Mr Kohli displayed when he led the Indian side recently in the former's absence, and one gets a fair idea of Mr Dhoni’s annoyance. The jury is still out on whether aggression of the Kohli kind or calm of the Dhoni style is what a captain of the Indian side today needs. Meanwhile, it is important to underline that Mr Dhoni has written a new and glorious chapter in Indian cricket.
As a ‘thinking captain', Mr Dhoni must have realised that he can sustain his brand (which also fetches him commercial endorsements worth tens of crores of rupees every year) by leveraging to the fullest extent his strength — which is the shorter formats of the game. There is no need to outline his success there; it is the stuff legends are made of. He will now plunge himself more fully into the 50-over and the T-20 versions. As long as he continues to sizzle with the bat there, spectators will have their paisa vasool and the products he endorses will continue their dream run. Mr Dhoni may have quit Test cricket, but he remains in the hearts and minds of every cricket-loving Indian. We can expect more fireworks from him in the limited overs edition in the coming months.