KOLKATA: He's had a six-year honeymoon since his international debut in 2004, been hailed as 'Captain Cool' and led India to the inaugural T20 World Cup title and the No 1 ranking in Tests. But Mahendra Singh Dhoni may be about to suffer the first major setback of his career.
With India failing to win a single Super 8 match in two straight T20 World Cups, there is talk of replacing Dhoni with Virender Sehwag as captain in both one-dayers and T20.
It is possible that India will have a new captain as early as next month when the selectors name the squad for Asia Cup in Sri Lanka. While Sehwag seems the front-runner for the top job, Dhoni will continue to lead the team in Tests, where India is No 1 in ICC rankings. There is apparently a section within the BCCI, which wants Dhoni to be retained even as ODI and T20 skipper due to his track-record, but the selectors seem to be ready to seek a change of guard.
The series of "blunders" by Dhoni in team selection, batting order and tactics are likely to be held against him. His blaming of late-night IPL parties has also not gone down well with the powers that be.
MS Dhoni, who has an imperious track track record as captain, may be about to pay the price for two successive failures in the World T20 tournament.
In fact, some insiders say that the change of guard is aimed at achieving two objectives — one, signalling the BCCI's deep displeasure with Dhoni for speaking "out of turn", and two, deflecting attention from the BCCI which can't be absolved of blame for its failure to prepare the team.
What's making it easier for the administrators to seriously think of axing Dhoni is his below-average form. His tendency to frequently promote himself in the batting order has apparently led to murmurs amongst batsmen who find themselves being constantly shunted up and down the order.
Those claiming to know the selectors' also point out 'shortcomings' like Dhoni's inability these days to come up with his trademark big hits. They cite the crunch match against Sri Lanka in which Dhoni walked in with Gambhir and Raina having provided a perfect platform, but failed to provide impetus. Worse, someone like Yusuf Pathan, who could have taken on the Lankan spinners, got just a few balls to face.
It's a moot point whether any other captain could have fared any better. And Virender Sehwag's own captaincy record isn't exactly awe-inspiring. In fact, Sehwag has even given up the captaincy of Delhi Daredevils, saying he prefers to enjoy the game and concentrate on his batting. Clearly, there are many more dramatic episodes ahead in the soap opera that is Indian cricket.
