With MS Dhoni no longer at the helm of things in the Indian Test team, new captain Virat Kohli has a selection headache on his hands, ahead of the Sydney Test. There are several batting positions in the team, which should be review by the team management.
Starting from number 2, number 3 to number 6 slots – all these batting positions are under scrutiny. Besides this issue, take into account a void created after Dhoni’s retirement at the number 7 batting position… the team would find it difficult identifying a replacement player immediately someone who can be head and shoulders above Dhoni.
There may be some changes in the bowling department too. But what the Indian team would be missing forever is the services of Dhoni. That said, life must move on. Dhoni has been focused on Mission 2015 World Cup and all worries about team selection in the Sydney Test will rest on Kohli’s hopefully able shoulders.
He has to take a call on practically everything to do with the Indian Test team. Kohli takes the call on whom to pick, whom to leave out and if anything goes wrong, he will be accountable.
In the last two Test matches in Brisbane and Melbourne, whenever Kohli put up his angry young man image on field – with reference to his exchange of words with the Australian team – it was always Dhoni who stepped in to keep tempers in check. Things never spiralled out of control thanks to captain cool.
But now without Dhoni, the Indian Test team will have to steer itself ably. Most importantly, the team will miss the leader who commands the maximum respect of his teammates. He is, what team director Ravi Shastri says, the “Boss of Indian cricket.”
Minutes before Dhoni’s retirement, the former Indian captain Shastri also said that this Test team would become a bullet side by the end of next year. But won’t it be better if Dhoni could have been the captain till then? Dhoni obviously thought otherwise. For the team to do well in the extravaganza event in Australia early next year, he felt the captain needed to remain hungry making this the best time to leave the Test cricket scene.
This makes Dhoni the second cricketer after Sunil Gavaskar to quit Test cricket on a high. Coming back to Kohli, he has some big responsibilities to fulfill. On the field and off it, he has to keep his temper under control and ensure that other members don’t cross the line either. Note to team: remember, there is no Dhoni to whom you can run and get a quick solution to any problem!
But this is only for Test cricket. The real action starts from the tri-series, which involves hosts Australia, England and India – where Dhoni will appear again on your TV screen. This time, in coloured regalia for the world to see what stuff the Indian ODI captain is really made of! The world is ready and so is Dhoni. Let the countdown begin!
