Dhoni’s captaincy should be questioned

Two back to back defeats of the Indian Cricket Team in the India England test series have ruined the dreams of millions of fans and supporters for a sweet revenge of the whitewash in the last England tour of India. Dhoni’s apparently calm and cool face has vanished by such a dismal show of his team. Will that suffice? Dhoni might not be ashamed to continue with his captaincy without showing any symptom of stepping down, but the selectors have to justify their roles candidly. They are paid a handsome package not just to travel around, but to select the right team that can perform. It is understood that the paramount pressure from different levels may become seemingly strangulating, but they have to show guts to take decisions for the benefits of Indian Cricket. The selectors remain responsible to the millions of supporters of Indian cricket and they should be able to show resilience to the undue pressure directed by the senior board officials or cricket lobbies. Dhoni’s qualms in the press conference will not cut the ice. The history unveils that many successful cricket captains had to bid adieu due to poor performances of their teams over a period of time. There are so many instances. Sourav Ganguly had to step down. Ricky Ponting had to leave his chair after Australia’s failure to win the fifty over World Cup. The cricket history certainly salutes them for their glittering performances and indomitable mind set, but the good times comes to an end for every one for obvious reasons. Greg Chappel or Imran Khan had also to leave cricket. Why shouldn’t Dhoni follow the honorable way? Does he have anything else to donate to Indian Cricket? Could he show traits of taking precise decisions in critical moments? Dhoni will surely not cherish his and his teams’ performance in the Eden Test. If Dhoni’s performance as Test cricket captain comes under the lenses of the cricket lovers, nobody can find a glamorous show. MS Dhoni has won most of the tests on Indian soil only. Who does not know that performance on the home soil cannot prove a captain’s excellence? Perhaps that is the key reason why Sourav Ganguly receives accolades from every corner after his Indian team flourished abroad. However, the selectors should show bold faces to wield an axe even on some senior test cricket players of India. Let us hope that the selectors will NOT be restrained by the narrow domestic walls of vested interests in the money...

Sri Lankan cricketers turn the tables

Alas! I am an ardent cricket fan and an Indian to the very core. However it did not prevent me from rooting for the Sri Lankans playing Australia in their last league encounter in the ongoing one day internationals at Australia. It was simply their energetic foray into the game to perform to the hilt despite being under tremendous pressure that won me over. Among the three countries playing in Australia it was the Sri Lankan cricketers who had the utmost burden on their shoulders to leave a trail of blazing glory at press point. It should not be forgotten that in the very last match they were totally over shadowed by the sudden upsurge in the Indian camp who has for once sorted out their tangles to focus on playing cricket when it mattered most. Yielding a bonus point did not make the situation any easier for the Sri Lankans either. That they scripted a prodigious win against the thoroughly professional Australian side through sheer effort in batting, bowling and charged fielding showed the real team effort of Srilanka. The Australians being the world champions in this format of the game a phenomenal four times took the fight to the very last over. It was the entire fraternity of cricketing fans like me who were the sure shot winners to be able to watch the last two league matches that were rare gems in the endless series of games being played. Surely the remaining set of three final clashes (if at all) between the Sri Lankan cricketers and their Australian counterparts will bring in a bountiful of terrific moments to treasure. Simultaneously it makes my mind sour to think that 11 months ago it was the Indian cricket team that won the World Cup in this very format but today they have been edged out by Sri...

Why should the press lash out at

It may raise acrimonious debate whether Sachin Tendulkar was given out unethically, but the fact of life remains that cricket India has been showing poor performance constantly. After massive defeats in Test series in England and Australia, India cricket team has also failed to bring about any drastic change in the one day cricket. Wins and Losses are there in cricket, but India has been loosing in a manner, where the Indian supporters do not find a single reason to become optimistic. Most of the cricketers fail to exhibit any team effort. Its worse that even the controversies erupted whether the senior cricketers of the famous team India are still synchronized. Rather, the sources close to the Indian cricket dressing room find a lot of incidents that can lead to anything but never reveal cohesion. The common symptoms of a series of defeats in any game are exhibited from the Indian cricket team performances. Though the sponsors and advertisers have been still depending upon the cricket stars, but the shabby performance will spread its far reaching tentacles. Indian Cricket board is one of the richest board of its stature. The eagerness of Indian families have made cricket the most popular game in India. The commoners will keep on losing their interests, if the team constantly fails. Will the sponsors keep on giving importance to the cricket stars even in those days? Its unwise to think in isolation for remedy. Why not to look forward to a complete change in the cricket team along with the...