Kolkata Knightriders had turned the tables , and have done it in style. They have managed to win 6 consecutive matches now , and have jumped to 3rd position on the tables. A slight here and there for Chennai SuperKings and they might well end up being the 2nd top team.
Yeah the team played and found a better combination than what they started with. Uthappa is playing as well as ever, after getting the opening slot. Shakib has contributed with both ball and bat. But among all this , what has gone unpraised is the captaincy.
Gambhir had a horrible start to his IPL campaign this year. But he fought back and has led his team to the next stage of the tournament. Though a bit aggressive , infact lot more than that just , but is very effective. He might have been overshadowed by the fact that India currently has a gem in Dhoni, tried and tested . But the way Gambhir has led his troops , one can arguably say that he is no less than Dhoni. Even Gambhir could have done wonders with the team Dhoni had.
Dhoni has been guilty of preferring some guys over others . Amit Mishra was a towel boy , when he was bowling at his best. Binny, a proven all rounder got batting at No.10 and 2 overs of bowling. Gambhir , on the other hand has set an even standards . Kallis was dropped , when he didnot fit in the team.
There’s an interesting story over it. Once Brett Lee was dropped from the 11 , the year KKR lifted the title. Lee’s reaction was the same, as expected from a typical Australian. Gambhir then asked him to go back to Australia, stating that there is no place for the individuals in the team.
Now, let me come to the point. There are 2 ways of picking up a captain, one is the English way where the captain is picked and the team is build around him. The second one is the Australian way, where the team is picked and the best suitable captain is picked from them. There is no doubt that Australian way is better, considering the fact that English captains have been questioned so many times of their place.
Extending this theory for Indian test team, Dhoni don’t deserve to be in the 11 considering his performance outside the sub continent. Edging an out swinger and holding the bat in his arm pits is the most common scene . On the other hand , Karthik was exceptional in his 2007 tour to England. Technically, Karthik is much better than Dhoni, although Dhoni has been very much more effective in Tests. But, the red cherry presents a different battle and in Dhoni has been below par in testing conditions. He has not been able to score a single Test century outside the subcontinent.
On the other hand, Gambhir has now proved enough in the domestic circuit, after his exclusion from the Indian team , to get a recall in the Test side. He still has 4 to 5 years of cricket left in him, and can lead India out of this transition phase. Dhoni, in Tests, has failed to lead from the front.
Leading in India is not a very big deal. One don’t even change the batting order and just need to rotate the spinners and they will get you the wickets. If they fail , you lose and if they pick, you win. There is nothing of captaincy involved in it. Dhoni doesn’t even talk much to the players and even VVS Laxman said that , it was very difficult to reach him .
Gambhir , on the other hand keeps in touch with the bowlers and gets himself involved in the game.
A 4-0 in England and then 4-0 in Australia , along with no contribution as a batsman is enough to get a captain kicked out of the team. The team needs to move on in the Test arena and it has to start with Dhoni. Karthik deserves another go in the Tests
