The man named MS Dhoni

KARACHI: Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s retirement from the Test format brings an end to an era where India turned into a resilient unit that continued to prosper in home conditions but fared fairly ordinarily in Tests abroad.  And perhaps the inability to win away from home, in fact a never ending streak of series losses in alien conditions finally broke down Dhoni’s resolve.  

In 60 Tests, Dhoni won 27 as captain but as many as 21 of the wins were recorded in the familiar surroundings of home — on wickets perfectly suited to the Indian game.

Dhoni ended his stint as the sixth most experienced captain of all time in the longest format of the game and his longevity certainly indicates that he commanded the respect of players and officials alike in what is unarguably the toughest job in the game with more than a billion cricket-mad fans dissecting every move.

The 33-year-old established himself as a Test batsman of worth with a fighting back-against-the-wall century against Pakistan at Faisalabad’s Iqbal Stadium in 2005. From there on, it was no looking back.

The man from Ranchi reached dizzying heights in the ODI and T20 formats winning for his country the treble of the World Cup, Champions Trophy and World T20.

In the Test format, he ordered an assortment of turning tracks to hunt down the Australians 4-0 in 2013; avenging the 2011-12 whitewash Down Under.

Dhoni-led Indian sides also recorded Test series wins against the West Indies (home and abroad), New Zealand (home), England (home), and Sri Lanka (home).

Unfortunately the strained relations with Pakistan meant that Dhoni never captained against the arch-rivals in the environs of Test cricket, despite his lengthy run at the helm.

Dhoni led one of the most powerful batting line-ups in the world but his mediocre bowling resources severely depleted chances of a win outside home. The old cricketing adage that Tests are won by bowlers must have been ruefully felt by Dhoni as his wafer-thin attacks bore the brunt of the blazing bats of opponents on wickets that didn’t favour spinners.

The baton has now been handed to the pugnacious Virat Kohli who never backs down from a challenge but has a fallible temperament that can make him enter the territory of recklessness in a blink of an eye.

Kohli indeed has big boots to fill and his first Test as permanent captain is now merely days away. One feels that the icy cool and methodical Dhoni might be in his ears regularly, Kohli must take the Dhoni mantra forward.

 

Like Sports on Facebook, follow @ETribuneSports on Twitter to stay informed and join in the conversation.