Captain Dhoni blamed for England debacle

The blame for India's embarrassing 3-1 Test series defeat to England has landed on under-fire captain MS Dhoni.

India captain MS Dhoni

The blame for India's embarrassing 3-1 Test series defeat to England has landed on captain MS Dhoni. (AAP)

MS Dhoni's captaincy has come under increasing scrutiny with former cricketers blaming him for India's humiliating 3-1 Test series defeat in England.

A debate erupted on Dhoni's future as Test captain after India was bowled out for a measly 94 and lost by an innings and 244 runs at the Oval in the final Test of a five-game series.

The innings lasted only 29.2 overs in what was a second successive loss inside three days for India.

Dhoni, who survived the axe after India suffered 4-0 losses in both England and Australia in 2011, has now lost 14 away Tests.

Former India captain and selector Dilip Vengsarkar feels Dhoni had been found wanting time and again.

"Dhoni led the team poorly," Vengsarkar told the Press Trust of India.

"His selection policy, strategy, field placing and bowling changes lacked common sense. He made some glaring mistakes match after match for which India paid heavily."

Though there does not seem to be any immediate alternative since Virat Kohli will be struggling to hold on to his place after failing to register a single half-century in 10 innings, former New Zealand player Martin Crowe suggests a change in captaincy.

"If he did back down from Test cricket, India wouldn't miss his strange, often weird, tactics," Crowe wrote in a column on the website Cricinfo.com.

"His selections are illogical when finding the appropriate balance in picking enough specialist players to out-skill the opposition over long periods.

"His manoeuvreings on the field as 'keeper and strategist are too often at odds with what the game situation demands - Ishant Sharma bowling short at Lord's the exception," he said.

Dhoni put England under pressure in the second Test at Lord's, using Sharma, as they secured their only win in the series. However, the India captain has been blamed for not attacking enough at other times.

He has also been criticised for backing players like Ravindra Jadeja and Stuart Binny who are more adept in limited overs cricket.

"Dhoni could focus on his defence of the World Cup he brilliantly coordinated and won, back in 2011. With his limited-overs triumphs he shows a completely different energy, proactive and attacking; those are formats where he has to use the bits-and-pieces players he likes so much," Crowe added.

Dhoni has the distinction of winning all three ICC tournaments as captain - the World Cup, the Champions Trophy and the World Twenty20 - but he has never been admired for leading in Tests, especially abroad.

Former India captain Mohammad Azharuddin feels Dhoni is not the kind of thinking captain needed for Test cricket.


Share

3 min read

Published

Updated


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world