honestbharani
Whatever it takes!!!
Jeez man, ur exams not going ok or what? Why all the aggro?So wait, first you were accusing Tendulkar of trying to get Dravid out of captaincy so he could take over, and now you're criticising him for not taking the captaincy. What the?
Firstly, your views that Tendulkar is trying to kick Dravid out has now been made to look ridiculous, initially with his decline of captaincy, and secondly with the rumours that he didn't take the captaincy because of the selectors' treatment of Dravid. Maybe Sachin ain't so evil afterall?
Regarding the double standards claim, I disagree. Sachin WAS NOT captain, unlike Dravid. Sachin has been captain twice, there is seriously no reason at all for him to be captain again. None whatsoever. Whereas Dravid's quitting of captaincy couldn't have come at a more inappropriate time to be honest. It just complicated everything. If anything, Sachin's decision to not take captaincy has done the reverse, its made things very simple. Dhoni as captain.
And will people stop fearing Australia FFS? They're a brilliant team, and an Australian tour is tough, but Dhoni isn't a frickin' kid. He's already shown he is a very capable captain, and there is ABSOLUTELY no point in naming another captain (eg. Kumble or Laxman) whilst having former captains (Tendulkar, Ganguly, Dravid) and the future captain (Dhoni) already in the team.
And naming Ganguly captain would be an even bigger distraction. Can you imagine all the questions that he'd receive in the media sessions in Australia? "How does it feel to be back" "Should you have ever been removed" yadda yadda yadda. Not to mention all the possible Greg Chappell questions.
Dhoni as captain of India works.
first of all, you can see any number of posts I made on the issue when Dravid gave up captaincy. I NEVER said Sachin wanted to kick out Dravid so that he could become captain. I always maintained that certain things I did say was just speculation on my part and my view on that was/is that Sachin was disappointed that Dravid didn't speak up for him when Chappell said certain things about Sachin. That Chappell did say harsh stuff to Sachin in the dressing room, is for me, pretty certain, even though there is no real solid proof out there. So I felt that since then, Sachin and Rahul haven't been eye-to-eye and that because of that the team also didn't seem to back Rahul too much.
I felt Rahul was kind of alienated within the side what with Zaheer giving statements that openly makes the captain look extremely stupid. Also, the growing closeness between Sachin and Sourav was evident to everyone and I still don't think Sourav and Rahul are as chummy as they used to be in 2004 or so... So I thought that even though perhaps nothing was said or done openly, there was a quiet uneasiness in the dressing room and that Rahul was kinda being left out by the others. Again, all this is just speculation and perhaps everything was ok with the Indian side and maybe it was just Rahul's reticient nature that gave this impression. But my gut feeling is that it is not and that Rahul was in fact kinda alienated. I don't want to say who was at fault etc because I think to an extent I think everyone involved were at fault... So as I said I never said/thought Sachin wanted the captaincy. And I don't know when I said Sachin was evil. I happen to think that even Dravid did some things wrong at that stage... And I respect and admire Sachin as much as you do.
Second thing is, Sachin WAS the vice captain on the last tour. It is obvious that he was being thought of as successor once Dravid decided to step down. And once Dravid said he didn't want to be captain anymore, it was obvious to everyone that Sachin was one of the favorites to be test captain. And given the relative lack of options for captaincy at the moment, he would have been the easiest and safest choice for the selectors. I don't think it has made anything simple for the selectors simply because Dhoni is yet to prove himself to be better than the other contenders for his job in the side. Giving him the captaincy at this stage, even if it works out, would still be a huge risk and as such, a mistake. Unlike in ODIs, Dhoni's test skills are yet to be proven beyond question.
And yes, Sachin's decision is a little inappropriate because he has everything going for him at the moment. He is batting well, he has the respect of the team, the board and the selectors, and more than anything else, as he himself said, he is enjoying his cricket at the moment. If you cannot accept captaincy when you are feeling this good, I don't know when you can, tbh. Contrast that with Rahul. It was obvious that the pressure was too much for him, his team mates were openly defying him and his batting form had dipped alarmingly... Heck, these were the very same reasons why Sachin quit back in 2000, except that his batting form didn't dip alarmingly and instead of his team mates defying him, Sachin felt that the board, selectors and coach were defying him... I think Lara once said when he was handed the captaincy in similar situations for the Windies in 2003 that it would be "dereliction of duty" not to accept captaincy at that stage, even though he didn't really want it. I know we have Kumble and Dhoni and perhaps Sourav or Laxman who can be captain now, but it just won't be the same as having Sachin as captain and I am sure everyone knows that...
And yes, a tour to Australia is feared. It makes or breaks players and captains and not everyone can come through. I think Dhoni is a strong enough guy to come through this but that doesn't hide the fact that this is still a huge risk and a lot will depend on how much confidence the board and selectors place on Dhoni. Whether they give him the sort of team that he feels comfortable with and whether they give him enough voice in the selection process and whether they have the guts to follow their vision even if we do get thrashed in Australia, as seems likely. That is a lot of "if"s there.
Dhoni as captain of India MAY work. That is the whole point right now... Tendulkar or Dravid or Kumble as captain of India works, simply because they can command a place in the side and as such, questions won't be asked about their presence in the side. Plus, a keeper having to skipper in a test match will be mighty tough. Keepers make the best vice captains but they rarely make the best captains. I happen to think Dhoni is an exception, but it remains to be seen how he handles it all...