Wednesday, August 06, 2014

Butcher In ICU


Dear Mr. Dhoni,

All we cricket fans, particularly Indian cricket fans, will eagerly look forward to the Old Trafford Test that begins tomorrow.  And look forward with some amount of trepidation as well. 

You are indeed someone with the most coolest and calculating brain in the cricketing fraternity today.  You do think and act out of the box, and we have seen some fabulous successes in the past. Who can forget your own batting promotion ahead of Yuvraj in the World Cup 2011 with stunning success!

Why then do you get into a completely defensive mindset in Test cricket Mr. Dhoni? The 2011 Dominica Test against the West Indies when you opted not go after 86 runs in 15 overs with 7 wickets in hand still rankles a few of us who want to see India as a dominant champion side.

Much has been said about this series and the three Tests till date, and it doesn’t warrant a recall.  But the key question that bothers many of us is, how will Mahendra Singh Dhoni approach this Test? Yes, there are injury concerns but we have a big squad and replacements, who if not the ideal, are available.  And the guys on the bench have earned their place to be there.  The key question is will you enter the field with a view to win the game? Will the bowlers perform as an ‘attack’ or will it be a ‘squad’ with a defensive mindset and orientation right from the word go? 

We accept a failure with the bat or ball or even a poor performance in the field. We understand that everyone has talent as well as limitations and it isn’t an utopian existence for anyone, where everything goes well for us and everyone performs to his ability.  In fact when in trouble on difficult wickets and you come into bat, we feel as anxious as a crowd outside a hospital ICU where a butcher has arrived in place of a heart surgeon to perform a life saving procedure.  Yet, we still hope that youwould battle it out, for if not the technique you have the grit and determination in addition to a smart brain. So, win or loss is not an issue at the end of the day. It is the effort and approach that matters in the first place.  If that is in the right earnest, the changes for success are manifold.

So please Mr Dhoni, approach this Test the way you approach the shorter version of the games!  If the T20 and ODI games had an option for a draw, you perhaps would have topped the list of such games as captain with the most number of drawn T20/ODI games!  But you have better mettle and we are hoping to see a Test where we don’t end up feeling ashamed a non-performance as in the last game!

Thank you!




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