Virat Kohli defines aggression. The way he talks, appreciates his teammates and plays the game, is all in-your-face. Mahendra Singh Dhoni, on the other hand, personifies calm.
For six years at least, that calm propelled Dhoni to unmatched heights. He brought home the 2007 World Twenty20 title in his first tournament as captain. In 2011, his team was crowned the 50-over world champions. And in another two years, he added the only global title missing from his cupboard — the Champions Trophy.
Dhoni will always remain one of India’s most successful captains. But even the greatest of captains have shelf lives. Till 2014 when he walked away from the Test captaincy, he led the Indian team in all three formats for almost a decade.
But, recently, there have been times when his opponents have worked around his unorthodox ways of captaincy. And, other occasions too, when his unorthodox ways have not hit the bullseye as often as they once would.
When victory becomes a luxury
Dhoni’s Midas touch used to be defined by spontaneous on-field calls like asking Joginder Sharma to bowl the last over of the 2007 World Twenty20 or promoting himself up the order in the final of the 2011 World Cup. Recently though, they have been on the wane.
With the victories now a luxury, Dhoni and his One-Day International team are expectedly under scrutiny. And the scrutiny has only intensified in the light of Kohli, with his aggressive band of captaincy, leading the Test team to one triumph after another.
Ajinkya Rahane, talking ahead of India’s first ODI against New Zealand in Dharamsala on Sunday, made an indirect comparison between the pedestal the Test team is on and the need for the ODI team to kick on.“Really looking forward to this one-day series. We have done well in the Test series, but again it is important to start fresh here. Again, I will say, momentum will be the key.”
Rahane is right. It is beyond crucial for the Indian team to start the ODI series well for the sake of their 50-over fortunes. For also Dhoni’s sake.
Dhoni was rarely known to emote or express. Victory, defeat, century, duck — they would all elicit a similar, unperturbed reaction from him. But the triumphs that the cool head earned soon gave way to disappointments and frustrations.
The crack in Captain Cool
“Captain Cool” has recently started to show his angst on the field. Remember him pushing the young Bangladesh bowler MustafizurRahman while attempting a run?
Dhoni has also publicly berated the weaknesses of his teammates. Ajinkya Rahane may not be the best ODI player in the world, but Dhoni criticised his ability to play on slow tracks and dropped him from the following ODI against Bangladesh.
And Dhoni’s newly-developed uncharacteristic ways of dealing with defeat came to the fore once again after India were beaten by the West Indies in the World Twenty20 semi-final at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai earlier this year. Asked about how much longer he planned to play, he called the journalist who had asked the question to the press conference podium and mocked him.
The contrast with Kohli
India completed the whitewash of New Zealand on Tuesday. Subsequently, they were crowned the No. 1 team in the world. It also stretched India’s unbeaten run in Test cricket to 14 months. Consistency is the only adjective that defines their run. But, today, it is an adjective that suits Kohli’s Indian team more than MS Dhoni’s Indian team.
Kohli’s Test team may have run over opponents in sub-continental conditions. Most of the matches were even played on predictable, turning Indian tracks. But the point is, the Test team has won. They have not lost a match since losing to Sri Lanka in Galle in August last year. MS Dhoni’s ODI team, on the other hand, has been a study in contrast.
The last series they participated in, Dhoni’s boys whitewashed Zimbabwe. But the state of Zimbabwe cricket and the struggle they face would have made any other result a disaster. The last time India under Dhoni, won a series against a team other than Zimbabwe was West Indies in 2014.
In the last two year, Dhoni’s men failed to make the final of the tri-series in Australia, bowed out in the semi-final of the World Cup in Australia in 2015, lost to Bangladesh away from home and fell to South Africa at home. They may have capped the embarrassing run in ODI cricket with a clean sweep of Zimbabwe, but the wounds will only heal once the Men in Blue can dispel the Kiwis for starters and carry their form against the England later in the season.
A race against time for Dhoni
What will remain a worry for Dhoni’s India is that they are engaged in a race against time. The Champions Trophy, the next global ODI event, is scheduled for June next year. And in the interim, India is slated to play only eight ODIs as of now, unless the BCCI can manage to squeeze in a few more games — something they are highly capable of.
As of now, the team combination, the return to winning ways and the winning momentum is dependent on the life-support provided by these eight ODIs. A failure to bring the team back on track over the next few months could raise serious questions over the 2011 World Cup-winning captain.
And it is getting tougher for Dhoni. Kohli plays for India in every format. He plays for the country almost throughout the year. That allows him to be in sync with where the team is headed. Dhoni, however, comes into the side only for the shorter forms, which is often after months. He plays those few games and heads back home, where not too much cricket awaits him. Often, by the time Dhoni is on the same page as the team, the series is closing in on its end and the team has moved on.
Dhoni will walk out for the toss on Sunday, carrying his serene demeanour along. He may even have his smile intact. But for it to last, he will have to make sure his trademark calmness marks a return. He will also have to ensure his team is back to winning events, and not just the one-off game.