India won the series against the West Indies (2-1) albeit down to some of the ongoing tiff between the West Indies players and their cricket board back home that brought the series to a halt.
India won the series against the West Indies (2-1) albeit down to some of the ongoing tiff between the West Indies players and their cricket board back home that brought the series to a halt.
India is currently on a roll in the ODI format of the game. With the World Cup round the corner, this brilliant form is doing the players and the fans a world of good.
MS Dhoni won a series against the struggling English and now the West Indies series which sees the Men In Blue go into the mega tourney as ‘favourites’. Not to forget that this team is also the reigning champions when they won the title after 28 years back in 2011.
But even as MS Dhoni is ruling the roost in the 50-over format over his rival skippers; it’s the Test scenario that has seen him lacking in all fronts. Even as India have a ‘decent’ form on home soil, their away form is a worry. Losing series in New Zealand, South Africa and England; MS Dhoni has been ‘hung out to dry’ by the critics and former cricketers.
And here’s former West Indian fast bowler and an icon in fast bowling Michael Holding who feels that Mahendra Singh Dhoni is lacking in Tests. He is of the opinion that MSD is not ‘innovative and proactive enough as captain, especially in Tests’.
Holding says, “I don’t think ODI captaincy is a problem (with Dhoni) but the longer form of the game is. I don’t think he is innovative and proactive enough in the longer form of the game. But captaining in ODIs it is not too difficult. Therefore India can do well under him at the World Cup.”
Holding feels that there are a lot of modern-day players, who ignore Test cricket for extending their ODI and T20 career. He adds, “Why only him (Dhoni), a lot of cricketers prefer playing limited overs cricket. I don’t think a lot of cricketers like playing Test cricket. It is not peculiar to him (Dhoni) alone. Money is one main reason and if you can work for short period of time and get more money, eventually you want to do that only,” said the 60-year-old, who is respected for his straight talk as a commentator.
Even as India faces a tough test in the Australia series, MS Dhoni’s approach remains to be seen. In what could be ‘Captain Cool’s’ last series in Oz land, the former needs a rethink about his strategies especially in Tests otherwise go out on a low.
