Who should captain the Indian cricket team after Dhoni?
Flashback to the 2011 World Cup win and you can fondly recall the ecstasy and the celebrations. The Indian captain MS Dhoni was holding the trophy over the top of his head, while the champagne flowed all around. It was India’s 2nd World Cup win and it came under Dhoni’s shrewd leadership. Undoubtedly, he is one of the greatest Indian skippers of all time. Soon after the win, Dhoni revealed his intentions to forego one of the formats at the end of 2013.
Now back to the present, May ’13. India have lost its last 8 overseas Tests. They have also been humbled by England at home. Dravid and Laxman have retired. Tendulkar is nearing the twilight of his career. Things are not looking as rosy as it looked back then, despite the Australian whitewash. In addition, a change in leadership might be around the corner.
Is anyone really ready? Let’s look at the choices.
Virat Kohli is the first name which comes to mind. On present form, he is India’s best batsman in all 3 formats. Also, he has scored runs in alien conditions in South Africa and Australia, and this will help him gain respect of the other members of the side. He has strong leadership credentials, with an under-19 World Cup win and a strong RCB showing already in his leadership resume. Also, captaincy has tended to bring the best out of him in crunch situations, as his performance in the under-19 WC final, and during the recent IPL, has shown.
So far, the only negative feature about him has been his attitude. But I feel, that too has been blown out of proportion. Yes, he has got a bit over excited at times. He has found himself in the center of a few scuffles. But rarely has he ever crossed the line, in his 4 year international career so far. In any case, don’t we like it when our players show emotion on the field? Doesn’t it give us the satisfaction, that winning and losing matters to them, just as much as it matters to us? The problem we have is that we are so busy looking for the next Dravid or the next Tendulkar, that we fail to realize that Kohli has an individuality of his own. That Kohli’s teammates at RCB have praised him for sticking by them is something which should count in his favor. Being aggressive is a trait in itself; a trait, which if channeled properly; can be a big motivator for success. Yes, cricketers, especially captains, are role models for their countries, but as long as the line between being aggressive and being rude is not crossed, things should be fine. Both Ricky Ponting and Graeme Smith have shown this. That these two matured, and became more patient with age, shows that Kohli will only get better with time. So, if Dhoni calls it quits, Kohli is hands down the best man for the job at the moment.
With Gambhir, Sehwag and Yuvraj all being shown the door, there is no one in the top six, other than Kohli, who is an automatic selection for all the three formats. Among the bowlers, the situation is even worse. Had Harbhajan Singh been around, he could have provided an alternative, but alas.
There is, however, another young man, whom I feel could turn out to be the kind of leader we are all looking for. Cheteshwar Pujara, though only 13 Tests old, has shown class and a sensible head on his shoulders, something which has evoked praise even from the likes of Dravid. With a technique right from the old school of cricket, he has what it takes to succeed in overseas conditions. Also, his first class record suggests that he can be a successful player in the shorter formats. While not the captain of his Ranji side, he has captained ‘A’ teams in the past. So, captaincy won’t be a completely new experience for him. However, as of now. too many ‘cans’ are involved. Maybe the South African tour will throw a better indication as to what direction he, and the Indian team, will take in the future.
But as of now, these 2 RCB teammates provide the best solution to India’s leadership conundrum, if and when Dhoni resigns (which I hope he doesn’t).