“Disappointing” is a word thrown around liberally at presentation ceremonies after a game nowadays, usually uttered by the losing captain. “Yes, it was a disappointing performance from us.” “Yeah, we disappointed our fans.” And so on.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni rarely uses that word. He did not use it after Bangladesh won the current ODI series. He did not use it after Australia defeated India in the World Cup semi-final. He did not use it after the losses to England and Australia in the tri-series that preceded the World Cup. In fact, the only time he did say he was disappointed was after the loss in the first ODI against Bangladesh, and that too as the answer to a question.
And therein, perhaps, lies the trouble with Indian cricket right now. The losses seem to have stopped stinging. All that focus on “processes over results” appear to have created a system where the outcome hardly seems to matter. And while losing is obviously a part and parcel of any modern sport, if no disappointment arises from these losses, if there is no burning desire to set things right, then there is a problem somewhere.
Differences in body language
It was visible in the body language of the two teams in both the two ODIs. Bangladesh were pumped up, spirited and in-your-face. Every catch and wicket was celebrated with gusto, every error was greeted with visible frustration. India, on the other hand, seemed to be going through the motions. As the old cricketing parlance goes, Bangladesh just wanted the win more.
There's no two ways about it: this is a new low for India. The losses against England, Australia and South Africa away stung, but those could still be explained by pointing to the fact the opponents are all strong teams at home. Not this time though. India were the overwhelming favourites to crush Bangladesh, a team ranked five places below them in the world rankings. They had arrived with a full-strength squad in a country where they had never lost an ODI in a bilateral series before. It was supposed to be a cakewalk.
And it did prove to be a cakewalk – for Bangladesh. The worst thing about these two defeats has been the comprehensive nature. Bangladesh were not even stretched, dominating large portions of both the matches and winning without breaking a sweat. Chandika Hathurusingha even rubbed it in after the first ODI, maintaining that Bangladesh had not played at their best, despite the comprehensive nature of their 79-run victory.
Is it time up for MSD?
Dhoni is one of India’s best ever captains – there cannot be any second thoughts on that. During his incredibly successful ODI and T20 career, Dhoni has delivered more international titles to India than any other captain. But like all great things, it has to end one day. And perhaps the the time has come.
Painfully, it is one of Dhoni’s biggest strengths which seems to have come back to haunt him. Under him, the Indian team became a well-drilled, methodical beast, coolly practical and pragmatic, not letting emotions get the better of them. This was borne out of Dhoni’s own disposition – cool, calm and collected, always unruffled and never losing his head in times of crisis.
This coolness came as a balm to an Indian team and they played some of the best cricket of their lives under Dhoni. But it seems to have become too much of a good thing now. India’s players looked they were just doing a job in the first two ODIs, implementing a template that has worked for them in the past. The hunger to win, the intensity to prove a point to Bangladesh, seemed to be missing.
Perhaps it is time for Virat Kohli to step in. It is still early days in Kohli’s captaincy career, but the signs have been promising: Kohli has talked about playing an “aggressive band of cricket” and winning Tests abroad, instead of “learning all the time”. He backed up the talk by going in with five specialist bowlers in the first Test against Bangladesh, a bold move on a placid pitch.
After the loss in the second ODI, Dhoni mentioned, somewhat sarcastically, that he’d be willing to forego captaincy and play as a player. Should the team think-tank consider the possibility? It has happened to every Indian captain in the recent past – all of them coming back to play under another skipper. At the very least, this series loss has to raise some uncomfortable questions. Otherwise, Indian cricket runs the risk of reaching a stage where, leave alone England and Australia, even winning on the subcontinent might become an unlikely proposition.
Second ODI: Bangladesh (200 for 4) beat India (200 in 45 overs) by 6 wickets (D/L method).
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Mahendra Singh Dhoni rarely uses that word. He did not use it after Bangladesh won the current ODI series. He did not use it after Australia defeated India in the World Cup semi-final. He did not use it after the losses to England and Australia in the tri-series that preceded the World Cup. In fact, the only time he did say he was disappointed was after the loss in the first ODI against Bangladesh, and that too as the answer to a question.
And therein, perhaps, lies the trouble with Indian cricket right now. The losses seem to have stopped stinging. All that focus on “processes over results” appear to have created a system where the outcome hardly seems to matter. And while losing is obviously a part and parcel of any modern sport, if no disappointment arises from these losses, if there is no burning desire to set things right, then there is a problem somewhere.
Differences in body language
It was visible in the body language of the two teams in both the two ODIs. Bangladesh were pumped up, spirited and in-your-face. Every catch and wicket was celebrated with gusto, every error was greeted with visible frustration. India, on the other hand, seemed to be going through the motions. As the old cricketing parlance goes, Bangladesh just wanted the win more.
There's no two ways about it: this is a new low for India. The losses against England, Australia and South Africa away stung, but those could still be explained by pointing to the fact the opponents are all strong teams at home. Not this time though. India were the overwhelming favourites to crush Bangladesh, a team ranked five places below them in the world rankings. They had arrived with a full-strength squad in a country where they had never lost an ODI in a bilateral series before. It was supposed to be a cakewalk.
And it did prove to be a cakewalk – for Bangladesh. The worst thing about these two defeats has been the comprehensive nature. Bangladesh were not even stretched, dominating large portions of both the matches and winning without breaking a sweat. Chandika Hathurusingha even rubbed it in after the first ODI, maintaining that Bangladesh had not played at their best, despite the comprehensive nature of their 79-run victory.
Is it time up for MSD?
Dhoni is one of India’s best ever captains – there cannot be any second thoughts on that. During his incredibly successful ODI and T20 career, Dhoni has delivered more international titles to India than any other captain. But like all great things, it has to end one day. And perhaps the the time has come.
Painfully, it is one of Dhoni’s biggest strengths which seems to have come back to haunt him. Under him, the Indian team became a well-drilled, methodical beast, coolly practical and pragmatic, not letting emotions get the better of them. This was borne out of Dhoni’s own disposition – cool, calm and collected, always unruffled and never losing his head in times of crisis.
This coolness came as a balm to an Indian team and they played some of the best cricket of their lives under Dhoni. But it seems to have become too much of a good thing now. India’s players looked they were just doing a job in the first two ODIs, implementing a template that has worked for them in the past. The hunger to win, the intensity to prove a point to Bangladesh, seemed to be missing.
Perhaps it is time for Virat Kohli to step in. It is still early days in Kohli’s captaincy career, but the signs have been promising: Kohli has talked about playing an “aggressive band of cricket” and winning Tests abroad, instead of “learning all the time”. He backed up the talk by going in with five specialist bowlers in the first Test against Bangladesh, a bold move on a placid pitch.
After the loss in the second ODI, Dhoni mentioned, somewhat sarcastically, that he’d be willing to forego captaincy and play as a player. Should the team think-tank consider the possibility? It has happened to every Indian captain in the recent past – all of them coming back to play under another skipper. At the very least, this series loss has to raise some uncomfortable questions. Otherwise, Indian cricket runs the risk of reaching a stage where, leave alone England and Australia, even winning on the subcontinent might become an unlikely proposition.
Second ODI: Bangladesh (200 for 4) beat India (200 in 45 overs) by 6 wickets (D/L method).