Indian Obsession with Captain Fantastics

So again Indian fans are out for the head of the Indian cricket captain MS Dhoni, this one declared earlier to be the most successful ever in India. While this diaspora remains tempestuous (in the 1990s they’d stone the cricketers’ houses to show their disapproval), they are simply saying ‘out’ meaning they don’t want him as skipper in any format. However, at least former cricketers like Saurav Ganguly are being specific that it’s ‘Tests’ he should step out of.

Aussie intellectuals

Ian Chappell: for Virat Kohli's elevation

The highly respected Australian Ian Chappell too is in favour of Dhoni’s ousting in Tests for the better of Indian cricket. However, are these changes mooted by the feeling that Virat Kohli has shown a sort of future captaincy potential, that too since the end of 2007 when he led the Indian Under-19 team to a World Cup victory? Both the senior and Indian teams were paraded and Dhoni and Virat sat on a podium, the images etched in everybody’s mind. Did we in India expect too much with too much certainty? It’s almost like we decided we had to have the results were used to in that heady September month of 2007 and therefore any failure especially from the senior captain meant we had to have Virat in as skipper.

Mallya’s style matches Virat’s?

It’s partially also the reason Vijay Mallya seems to have re-invested hurriedly in Virat Kohli for the Indian Premier League, this year being the seventh successive year that Virat has been retained. That is, he believes he has always had the future Indian captain in his side. And of course, he would go to great lengths in the third Great Auction in the IPL’s 6-year history to secure this man.

Virat: Gotten off the right foot for Indian fans since 2007

Dan Vettori seems to have been ousted from the Royal Challengers Bangalore team as a player (well he probably chose not to be in the auction and avoid a ‘junior’ feeling creeping into him and was chosen as team coach) because he would be dethroned by the popular opinion of elevating Virat to captaincy, more than any really good algorithm.

Vettori: Faith in him jaded too fast?

 Is this also the old Indian feeling of wanting fast results? Because Vettori-led Royal Challengers Bangalore failed in both the 2011 IPL and Champions League final (incidentally at the same venue Chepauk and against the same side Chennai Super Kings), popular opinion in RCB seems to have found the ‘witch’ easily in what would otherwise have been a witch hunt.

Grand Plan

There is little doubt now that Dhoni would be retained as captain in all formats till the 2015 World Cup so as not to destroy his rhythm for this tournament, the biggest prize of all. After that, his ouster from Tests seems a mere formality, barring suddenly good Test match performances by India. What India must realise though is that we must allow for some failures if we want them to perform at that peak in other tournaments.

Ganguly: A different style to Dhoni's?

Simply because India won all matches in a longish Champions Trophy tournament in England while winning the trophy in the end does not mean that winning everything is a must to be a good team. You just can’t have everything.

Know when to peak?
Maybe a team needs to play at 85% after a gruelling series or tournament or as a build up to a major tournament two or three months later. To create a lax feeling before crucial tournaments, although some may call it the admirable quality of invincibility, will actually steer the focus away from them. And then the fans will want to criticise the team for not winning the ‘World Cups’ the times that somehow to them will ‘matter the most.’

Indian Fans

Dhoni is a tired man because of the strain by expectations India puts on him and of course the quantum of cricket played. We must allow for his failures. But unfortunately, we’re quite an impatient nation. This time, Ian Chappell who’s provided an unbiased outsider’s view will have galvanised the Indian opinion that Dhoni must step out as captain soon because Virat is available. Are we so convinced of the belligerent Virat’s ability to carry a team through a whole generation?

Do these gestures hype Virat's abilities?

Is he truly capable of the maturity required to lead the most heavily taxed cricket team in the world? His aggression and outward attitude may not be the best indicators. Nor can a few victories under this young leader indicate truly how he will carry the load over a larger period. Well, we’re so overcome with flamboyance in leaders that we haven’t even considered if there’s anybody else in the Indian team who is as good as Virat. Sure, Ian Chappell is likely to offer an unbiased opinion but do we not have a truly unbiased opinion of our own in India?

Indians calling timeout on Dhoni

Can we not give Dhoni the luxury of some more mistakes? Well, the historically ‘pure’ form of the game cannot be neglected, right, or the Indian team will show poorly in ‘records?’ Maybe it’s time to sacrifice some records and realise the cricket world has already moved to ‘faster’ cricket. 'Pure' is such an outdated expression.