Time to take a call between Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni
November 8th, 2007. India were playing Pakistan in an ODI on Diwali in Mohali.
After almost 98 overs of tension, the Men In Green prevailed, with Shahid Afridi showing that he could play cameos which could help his side win matches, rather than disturb the momentum.
While the duel proved to be fierce on the field, there was one other piece of discussion, which was getting an equal amount of attention. The decision on who captains India in Test Cricket.
The choice was between MS Dhoni, who had led the side wonderfully in the short time he was at the helm in the limited-overs and Anil Kumble, an old warrior, who had toiled his way, battling several injuries and helped India win many games for 17 years.
Kumble was picked as the man to lead India in Tests while Dhoni continued to build his reputation in the shorter formats. It was a courageous decision and the consequences of it were seen as early as two months later.
India were in the middle of their first crisis- the Monkeygate scandal- perhaps after the match-fixing scandal in 2000 and Kumble displayed outstanding leadership qualities to stand up for his side. His quote, “Only one team was playing in the spirit of the game”, after the game, still remains an unforgettable quote in the folklore of Indian cricket.
Cut now to 10 years later. To present day. Dhoni is once again under the spotlight, but not from a captaincy point of view. He is no longer the boyish mid-20s rambo. Instead, he is now a 35-year-old statesman, someone who is looked at high regard by everyone in Indian cricket.
The last few years have been tough for him as well as for his teammate, Yuvraj Singh, with whom he has shared many a memorable moment, the most recent of which came in Cuttack, in January 2017.
But both men are not the players they were once. Yuvraj’s capabilities are not at the level they were at when he won four man-of-the-series awards in the mid-2000s. When Dhoni walks out to bat, with India needing 100 in 13 overs, the faith that he would be there to finish it is not as much as it was, say, 3 years ago.
While there is no doubting the experience they bring to the table, there is no guarantee of whether they can win matches for India at the same rate as they did several years ago, a period in Indian cricket where they stitched together many match-winning stands.
And hence, the time has now come for Indian cricket to pick between the two. Because if India do harbour hopes of winning the World Cup in 2019, then, sadly, both can’t be in the same team.
Is Yuvraj the only option at 4?
Over the years, Indian limited-overs cricket has suffered many a problem. New ball bowling, death bowling, lack of seam bowling all-rounders etc. One issue that has not been addressed is the player who walks in at Number 4.
One look at history and you know. In the early 2000s, India’s order read: Tendulkar, Ganguly, Dravid. Later it read: Tendulkar, Sehwag, Gambhir. Now it reads: Dhawan, Rohit, Kohli.
Any country would kill to have two out of three players from each of those eras in their sides and because it is that good, they have given India the impetus.
India tried Suresh Raina at 4: Did not get results. They tried Ajinkya Rahane: Nothing positive. They went back to Yuvraj, eventually because at that moment they didn’t have any other option.
His overall record in that position is very good. 3372 runs in 106 innings at 35. His record there in 2017 is not. 105 runs in 5 matches at the same average.
What options do India have in that slot? Kedar Jadhav is one. A free flowing batsman, with an ability to build an innings. Although he has been used as a finisher, it would be worth a go to give a chance to build an innings. He bats in the top 5 for Maharashtra and averages 50.3. Maybe, a run at that spot could well bring the best out of him.
It could do Dhoni no harm if bucks up and bats at Number 4, something he has openly said he would like to, as his career slowly enters its final phase.
Is Dhoni irreplaceable in coloured clothing?
When MS Dhoni became India’s permanent wicket-keeper-batsman in 2005, few envisioned a future for him, which would see him achieve as much as he has. Here was this young, robust guy from India’s outback, who with long locks, loved to tonk the ball out of the park.
Just over a couple of years later, he was handed captaincy and that evolved him. From a dashing batsman with a penchant for sixes, he became a street-smart grafter, who focussed on running between the wickets combined with the odd big hit, but critically, helped India win many a match from near-dead positions.
But nothing remains constant and over the past few years, Dhoni has not been able to finish games with the consistency of the past.
However, it isn’t the batting, which is the most focal point. Does India have anyone right now, who still even comes close to being as good as Dhoni is, with the gloves in hand?
The answer to that is NO.
Although there are a few who could be groomed into that role. Rishabh Pant is someone who the selectors are looking at for the future. Sanju Samson has been talked about for a while as the next wicket-keeping prospect.
There is also the option of going back to the likes of Dinesh Karthik, Parthiv Patel, but would that be a long-term option is something that needs a deeper discussion.
I think it is also time for Dhoni to convey to the selectors, as to how far he is thinking, regarding his career. Is the 2019 World Cup on his mind? Does he want to play for a year more and then give it all up? It would give the panel an idea as to how many chances they give the next cricketer.
If India are serious about the World Cup, then the time to give chances starts now. The top 3 seem settled. It is how they solve 4 and 5 slot is the question.
Will Kohli take the tough decision now and make the changes that are needed? Only time will tell.
Also Read: 5 important problems that the Indian team must address right now