Time to liberate MS Dhoni

Free him from the Test captaincy and he could yet give back in other ways

By Gaurav Kalra | ESPNcricinfo – 20 hours ago

MS Dhoni has a phlegmatic, unruffled air about him. That he is rarely given to another disposition suggests it is how the man is constructed. There is no mask, no pretense at being "cool". In the delirium that followed India's World Cup victory in 2011, he said it was "good to win". No grandiose romanticism about how a boy from Ranchi could never have imagined holding up cricket's most treasured prize, no claims of this being a "gift to the nation".

So, in defeat too, Dhoni doesn't do manufactured gloom. "Will you resign as Test captain now?" he was asked after India plummeted to their fifth-straight overseas-series defeat. "Didn't you ask me the same question in 2011?" he retorted with a smile.

Leading cricket teams wears the best of them down. Graeme Smith recently walked away from the game, knowing well that at 33 he was possibly forsaking a few years of heavy run scoring. In 2007 Rahul Dravid led India to a first series win in England in 21 years and called time on his captaincy, saying he simply had stopped "enjoying" the task. Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara grew weary of the politics of their board and so chose to hand hold a younger man rather than continue in the job themselves.

When India suffered embarrassing whitewashes in 2011 in England and then Australia, Dhoni had faced calls for his head. He dug his heels in at the time, and perhaps rightly so. At 30, Dhoni was aware that once India's aging batting giants made way, he would be allowed to put together a team of his choice. As India began a sequence of three series on the road earlier this season, the signs were positive. In South Africa and New Zealand, they were beaten but not disgraced. The formula Dhoni invested in was reaping reward and on an incredible afternoon at Lord's, it delivered a magic moment.

The three staggering defeats that have followed have not just punctured the afterglow of that success but give Dhoni little reason to stay invested in the job. The young batsmen he hoped would form the engine room of a brave new outfit have floundered and offered clues to future foes on how to neutralise them. Returning to solid performers from the past has ended in spectacular failure.

Worse still, there isn't a stream of young batsmen in the country demanding to be promoted to national duty. What does Dhoni attempt to rebuild now? Who does he build with?

The consistently comical slip catching and large tracts of impotent bowling mean India have inadequate tools to mount a credible challenge on tours.

Dhoni avoids hyperbole, terming overseas success "important", and isn't given to concerns about legacy, but surely the will to soldier on is dwindling? Yes, he could add to his impressive captaincy record by beating West Indies at home later in the year, but it would be little more than a statistical milestone.

In the brutal treadmill that is the modern game, it is a minor miracle that Dhoni's reign has lasted this long. But being captain first and all else later has impeded his progress as a Test cricketer.

An old cliché suggests cricket teams must be made up of the best playing eleven possible and the captain must be found from within that group. However, no wicketkeeper in the country, no matter how assured his glove-work or how sound his batting, has even an outside chance of challenging for Dhoni's spot.

In the absence of the competition from rivals that often forces sportsmen to strive to improve, Dhoni's wicketkeeping has visibly declined. He displayed remarkable gumption with the bat in making four half-centuries in the England series but his overall record outside the subcontinent remains pedestrian. He is perhaps still India's No. 1 wicketkeeper batsman in Test cricket, but worthy young men such as Wriddhiman Saha and Naman Ojha are emerging as strong challengers.

At 33, there can yet be a memorable home stretch to this outstanding international career. What he needs, in Test cricket, is to be liberated. From tosses and press conferences, from team building and man-management. He has his beloved one-day team to lead into a World Cup defense in less than a year but his time is up as Test captain. There is nothing left to accomplish, nothing left to contribute. Free him so he can focus on his battles as a player, free him so his wisdom is available to a successor. Then, it could yet be a happy ending for Dhoni.

ESPN Sports Media Ltd.

India's Fifteen for 2015

(Note: This long-list of cricketers is based on their performance in the 2011 World Cup, and their appearances in the ODI squad since the same event. Some players—Munaf Patel and Ashish Nehra—are not on the list since they’ve not been in the squad for long. Other players—like Virender Sehwag and Harbhajan Singh—are unlikely to make the World Cup due to poor form. But we leave their selection in your hands. Also, remember that pitches in Australia and New Zealand support pace and bounce. Remember to pick players who can excel, or have excelled, in those conditions, and also have the temperament to succeed in a high-pressure tournament.)

After this poll runs its course, we will publish which 15 players are the most favoured to make the cut — and why the voters are right or wrong about them.

HERE ARE THE RESULTS SO FAR

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• icc world cup
 
• india
 
• ms dhoni
 
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• 2015 world cup

BCCI officials ramp up pressure on Fletcher

Duncan Fletcher is on notice, and will be assessed on his performance each series. That's the message to India's coach from the BCCI.

By Nagraj Gollapudi | ESPNcricinfo – Tue 19 Aug, 2014 5:30 AM IST

Duncan Fletcher is on notice, and will be assessed on his performance each series. That's the message to India's coach from the BCCI, though what is also clear is that Fletcher will have little part to play in the ODI series in England, with Ravi Shastri being given charge of all cricket-related activities.

The end is nigh for Fletcher. (AP)The decision to clip Fletcher's wings, by effectively replacing his two assistant coaches with three from the BCCI's stable, and by putting Shastri above him, is believed to stem from the anger and disappointment of India's astonishing capitulation from a winning position in the Test series to eventually lose 3-1.

A senior BCCI official, who was privy to the discussions, said Shastri would be the go-to man for all "cricket-related activities" during the ODI series in England. "Fletcher will be there but for this tour Ravi will look after all cricketing aspects for this ODI series."

Several officials ESPNcricinfo spoke to were unwilling to commit to Fletcher's future but indicated he had been sidelined. More clear is the future of Trevor Penney, the fielding coach, and Joe Dawes, the bowling coach, the feeing in the BCCI being they were not doing their jobs properly.

Fletcher had been the target of severe public criticism through India's 8-0 run of defeats in England and Australia in 2011, but the BCCI stuck by him and renewed his contract for a year this April, with secretary Sanjay Patel saying the board had complete confidence in the coaching staff. Fletcher is now believed to have lost support and the BCCI seems keen on making the point that Tuesday's decision was not an abrupt one, rather the culmination of events over the past few months.

MANNER OF DEFEAT STUNG

What hurt the BCCI hierarchy most was the manner in which India lost the three Tests in England this summer. It forced them to take notice and act swiftly. "The Indian team is not performing. What went wrong?" Anurag Thakur, the BCCI joint secretary, said. "You need to look at whether it was the coach and support staff, whether it was the selection of the team or there is problem in coordination. So at this stage, when the team for the ODIs has been picked, the best you can do is to have more people engaged who can work closely with the Indian cricket team.

Ranjib Biswal, the IPL chairman and a top board functionary, indicated the positive presence of Shastri would inject the dose of competitive spirit back in the team. "When the team is demoralised you need the someone to lift the morale. Ravi has the experience and he has done it earlier," Biswal said.

According to Thakur, the decision to appoint new coaching staff was taken only on Monday. "The BCCI should take some decision for the betterment of cricket. The selectors can have the autonomy to pick the player. But the only option left with the BCCI was to see how we could help the players and Indian cricket by bringing in these three people.

"What was the need of Ravi Shastri? I felt something was missing - maybe the communication gap between the coach and the players," Thakur said. "A person like Shastri can boost the morale of the team. Nothing wrong in trying in the ODI series when you are doing so badly."

The string of overseas series defeats was becoming unbearable under Fletcher's watch, one senior official said. "Some shake-up was needed. You can't just get blown away for three Tests in a row in less than 40 or 50 overs. Agreed the coaches are as good as the players, but if you are not evoking the same kind of confidence it does not help. The effort is there but if the results are not coming then people will raise questions."

ESPN Sports Media Ltd.

Shastri named director of cricket for England ODIs

BCCI sidelines, but doesn't sack, the India coaching staff. Shastri, Bangar, Arun take charge.

By ESPNcricinfo staff | ESPNcricinfo – 7 hours ago

Ravi Shastri (Getty Images)

This is not the first time the BCCI is turning to Shastri during a crisis, having named him the Indian team's cricket manager after an embarrassing first-round exit from the 2007 World Cup.

Fielding coach Trevor Penney and bowling coach Joe Dawes have been "given a break" for the one-day series in England, while former India allrounder Sanjay Bangar and former India fast bowler B Arun have been named assistant coaches. R Sridhar, the former Hyderabad left-arm spinner, will join the support team as the fielding coach for the one day series.

A BCCI release said: "In their continuing efforts to re-energise the support to the team, the BCCI has given a break to the bowling coach Mr Joe Dawes and the fielding coach, Mr Trevor Penny for the one day series and appointed Mr Sanjay Bangar, former Indian all rounder and former India fast bowler Mr Bharat Arun as the Asst. coaches of the team. Mr R.Sridhar will join the support team as the fielding coach for the one day series."

Dawes, a former Queensland fast bowler, has been India's bowling coach since the 2011-12 Test debacle in Australia, while Penney has been in charge of the fielding after India's victorious 2011 World Cup.

Bangar retired from first-class cricket in 2013 and has since coached India A, and been part of the support staff of various IPL franchises, with his reputation getting it biggest boost after he coached an unfancied Kings XI Punjab to their first IPL final earlier this year.

Sridhar, who began his coaching career in 2001, has been part of the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore and was the India Under-19's assistant coach during the World Cup in February in the UAE. He has also worked with Kings XI Punjab in IPL 2014 as the franchise's fielding coach.

Arun, a former Tamil Nadu fast bowler, has overseen India two previous Under-19s campaign, including Unmukt Chand's title-winning side in 2012. He was also among the senior coaching staff at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore till he resigned last year.

More to follow
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Englishmen spank India to take series 3-1

5th Test — England hammered India by an innings and 244 runs at Kennington Oval. India were bowled out for just 94 in a second innings.

By The Report by David Hopps | ESPNcricinfo – Sun 17 Aug, 2014 5:30 AM IST

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England celebrate with the Investec Trophy in London.England 486 (Root 149, Cook 79, Ballance 64) beat India 148 (Dhoni 82, Woakes 3-30) and 94 (Jordan 4-18) by an innings and 244 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

India might have been transported to another world, a world so unfamiliar that their senses were befuddled, their physical prowess lost, their lifetime's knowledge entirely inadequate. One by one their batsman came and went as they underwent the third heaviest Test defeat in their history.

This is an Indian side built on immense wealth and hubris, which has become used to a feeling of power, which has come to view its early history as an aberration, yet they were poverty stricken against an England side once again relishing perfect swing and seam bowling conditions.

India batted as if they had no sense of time and place, but for the record on August 17, 2014, in south London, they foundered to 94 all out in only 29.2 overs. Against the same England side that was beaten by Sri Lanka in a two-Test series in May, India have insisted on five Tests crammed into six weeks and once the series turned they had no respite.

Less than four weeks ago, India secured an historic win at Lord's to go 1-0 up in the Investec series. They have since been trounced three times: by 266 runs at the Ageas Bowl, by an innings and 54 on a relatively quick pitch at Old Trafford, and now by an innings and 244 runs.

England's 3-1 series win was secured in a quite remarkable transformation. When it was indicated that Alastair Cook was a captain under pressure, it was clear that the media meant MS Dhoni; when the coaching influence of Peter Moores was questioned, obviously what should have been written was Duncan Fletcher. "We were laughing about it," Cook said. "Everything we planned went perfectly."

Not since 1977 have India been dismissed for less than 200 five times in succession. Since they made 178 in the second innings in Southampton, they have been dismantled for 152, 161, 148 and, finally, for 94 by an England attack that, as well it has bowled, must have viewed the disintegration as barely credible.

There were so many images that India will not want to recall, but their misery was encapsulated in the last act of the morning session when Gautam Gambhir, his Test career perhaps at an end, jogged off the outfield at The Oval in pouring rain seconds after pointlessly running himself out.

Gambhir, sent back by Cheteshwar Pujara after envisaging a suicidal single to short midwicket, was beaten by Chris Woakes' direct hit, the last act in a short pre-lunch session of 6.1 overs which also saw India lose M Vijay, their staunchest batsman in the series, lbw to a lavish inswinger from James Anderson.

The rain relented to allow a restart at 2.30pm; by 4.30pm all that was left was the rigmarole of a presentation ceremony - a ceremony in which India had to watch Anderson, their bête noire, collect the Man of the Series award. India now have a week to regroup, or merely to measure out their life with coffee spoons as TS Eliot had it, before an ODI series in which they will still regard themselves as favourites, although such is their large turnover between Test and ODI squads that about half the squad are heading home.

In good times, Pujara and Virat Kohli have the talent and patience to bat for days. At The Oval, they could have fallen to virtually any ball. Pujara's hands were strikingly low for such conditions to combat the rising ball; Kohli has looked fallible outside off stump throughout the series, a series in which India's gilded young batsman has made 134 runs at 13.4. He has the talent to conquer English conditions, but this failure will sit heavily on him.

For six overs, Pujara and Kohli resisted, their stand of 21 the highest of the innings. Then Pujara pushed gravely forward at an outswinger, almost as if bowed in prayer, and edged to the keeper. Surprisingly, considering the mayhem that followed, it was Anderson's last wicket, leaving him three behind Ian Botham's England record of 383 Test wickets and no Test to make up the shortfall until the Caribbean next April.

Broad and Anderson bowled beautifully, Broad picking up Ajinkya Rahane five overs later. Gary Ballance's brilliant diving catch at third slip, springing to his left to rescue a chance that might easily have fallen short, exemplified another gulf between the sides: India's close catching had become increasingly atrocious.

That India's candle was burning as if in pure oxygen was apparent when Dhoni followed in the next over, a push off his hip against a back-of-a-length delivery from Chris Woakes that was snaffled by Sam Robson at short leg. Cook, who has become more prone to attacking fields as England's superiority has become apparent, must now reflect that they are rather fun.

And so, with India's minds mangled, it went on. Of their last five wickets, four fell to Chris Jordan, the best of them his first as Kohli edged a fullish outswinger to Cook at first slip. Would such a celebrated player request a period in county cricket to address his failings?

Jordan followed up with two wickets in an over. There was a rebound catch for Ian Bell, knocked on by Ballance, to dismiss R Ashwin; a wanton drive by Bhuvneshwar Kumar, India's Man of the Series, impressive at times with bat and ball, but ultimately brought to his knees.

Moeen Ali has bowled just one over in this Test, but India invited him to the party, firstly courtesy of Varun Aaron's run out attempting a non-existent second run (the throw did not even have to hit direct from long leg) and, finally, a simple catch at silly point at Ishant jabbed blindly at a short one.

England's lap of honour was sedate, a Sunday stroll - an appropriate pace because that is what their victory had been.

India's embarrassment began with the ball as England racked up 101 runs in 11.3 overs to extend their first-innings lead to 338. Root, who had overnighted on 92, finished unbeaten on 149 from only 163 balls, his last 100 runs taking only 70 balls, evidence of how keenly he had wrested the initiative on Saturday evening.

Ishant bowled him on 110 only for replays to show he had overstepped; a succession of no balls on the second day by Ishant passed unnoticed. It is a rum system that only checks no balls when somebody takes a wicket, a nonsensical policy that has seeped into international cricket without any proper public discourse.

Broad, in his last Test appearance as England's cricketing Goth, protected his black eyes and broken nose with a new helmet. India's predictable short-ball strategy had about as much intensity as a school ballet practice. Aaron, whose bouncer hit Broad at Old Trafford, had the field for the short ball, but not the inclination. When Ishant fired in bouncers, they took off around 80mph.

Broad, even more gung ho than normal, struck 37 from 21 deliveries and when he was dismissed, gloving a short ball from Ishant, he should not have been as his bottom hand had been withdrawn from the bat. "This match could end today," someone said. You did not need a degree in psychology to predict that.

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India flummoxed by Moeenalitharan

Not enough respect, or too much respect? India have got themselves in a right mess when it comes to facing Moeen Ali when keeping the game simple would have been the best method

By Sidharth Monga | ESPNcricinfo – Mon 11 Aug, 2014 5:30 AM IST

Moeen celebrates one of his wickets in Manchester.

First day of the series. India have made a cautious start. It is a slow pitch on which stroke-making is not easy. After the early runs through third man, India have been sedate. Half an hour before lunch, Alastair Cook brings on Moeen Ali. Cook has copped a lot of criticism for underutilising Moeen against Sri Lanka. So on comes Moeen. He bowls round the wicket, flights it around off, and Cheteshwar Pujara drives the first ball forcefully. This is the first time Pujara has ever faced Moeen. By the time the over ends, Pujara has hit a four, although this is thanks to a rank full toss. In the next over Pujara is skipping outside the crease. In the second innings of the same Test, Shikhar Dhawan faces Moeen's first ball - again the first time he is playing Moeen - and he goes for an extravagant flick to leg. He survives an lbw shout.

The plan is clear: we don't want to let Moeen bowl. Four Tests into the series, Moeen has taken 19 wickets at 22.94. These are serious numbers. Outside Asia only three spinners have taken more Indian batsmen out in a series. He is one behind Ray Illingworth, five behind Lance Gibbs and nine behind Alf Valentine. Even if you include series in Asia, Moeen is not too far behind: if he takes eight wickets at The Oval, traditionally the most spinner-friendly track in England, his series figures will be among the five best against India. Not quite what you expect of a bowler you did not want to let bowl.

On paper it sounds like a sound plan. The opposition's attack is lop-sided. They have only one spinner, a part-time bowler before the start of this series, who is often the fifth man Cook goes to. If you take runs off him, Cook has to go back to his quicks, who are all carrying miles in their legs. By going after Moeen, you force Cook to do something he does not want to do. Also you add those miles in the fast bowlers' legs, and possibly force them to miss a Test in the series.

A spiffing plan really. Except that India might have both underestimated and overestimated Moeen. They tried to hit the first ball he bowled away. In Southampton Rohit Sharma tried to hit him over the top five minutes before tea and perished. India ended up losing six wickets to him in an innings. They lost. MS Dhoni stuck to the team's guns. "I thought our batsmen played the fast bowlers better, but we allowed Moeen to bowl his line and length," he said. "There was considerable amount of wear and tear on the pitch that went his way, and there were a lot of close-in fielders too were there. I just felt that we could have been a bit more positive against him."

The result of Southampton was batsmen spending hours practising their sweep shot in the lead-up to Manchester. Now Indian players are not natural sweepers. Their natural game of using their feet to get to the pitch of the ball or shortening the length by rocking back works well for them. By now, though, Moeen had gone from one who should not be allowed to bowl to one who should be given special attention. Virat Kohli dedicated entire net sessions to just sweeping. Trevor Penney worked a lot with him. Without doing this, too, Kohli has scored Test centuries against spinners in much more helpful conditions.

At Old Trafford, Kohli managed to face only four balls from Moeen, one of which he swept and nearly holed out to deep square-leg. By going out of their way to first eliminate Moeen and then negate him, India have let Moeen become a big factor in the series. If they had played him normally, like they do other spinners, they would have had the desired results anyway.

Even after Old Trafford, Dhoni said: "It is important to be positive. We will lose a few wickets. He is quite a consistent bowler. He keeps pitching in the same areas. He is quite good and uses the drift. At the same time we will have to put pressure back on him. If in doing that you lose a few wickets that is still good for you because that pushes the opposition to use their fast bowlers more. That is something we will have to follow. Pujara got a tough decision but others he bowled well to get them out."

As a bowler, Moeen is somewhere between what they earlier thought of him and what the numbers suggest now. Against Sri Lanka, in a short span, he took two classic offspinners' wickets. He had Kumar Sangakkara lbw when the ball did not turn and beat his inside edge. Lahiru Thirimanne was bowled after the ball turned and beat the outside edge. He gets some drift too. There is no mystery to him, though. He has two balls: the regulation offbreak and the one that goes straight on. The doosra he hardly ever uses. He even began this series negatively, from round the wicket. Now he is attacking more, bowling from over, and outside off, getting some drift, some dip, and then letting the natural variation from the pitch do the rest.

There might be a lesson in there for Indian spinners too, but by no means is he a demonic spinner that the numbers suggest. Not yet at any rate. On their 2006-07 tour of South Africa, India played Paul Harris with such caution they led to Ravi Shastri's calling him Lord Harris. On this tour India have created Moeenalitharan.

ESPN Sports Media Ltd.

Ishant ruled out of fourth Test, Bhuvneshwar a worry

Ishant Sharma is all set to miss his second Test, Wriddhiman Saha has gone home with an injury, but another big concern is a swelling on Bhuvneshwar Kumar's ankle.

By Sidharth Monga and ESPNcricinfo staff | ESPNcricinfo – Thu 31 Jul, 2014 5:30 AM IST

The five-Test series is taking its toll on India. Ishant Sharma is all set to miss his second Test,Wriddhiman Saha has gone home with an injury, but another big concern is a swelling on Bhuvneshwar Kumar's ankle.

The India team played a long match of football after their defeat in Southampton, an activity India hardly miss on their playing or training days. Bhuvneshwar and Ishant, though, watched from their balcony. However, at the moment, the team has not considered this serious enough to ask for a replacement. They are hopeful Bhuvneshwar will be available for the fourth Test, and Ishant for the fifth.Bhuvneshwar has bowled plenty of overs in the series after only three Tests. (AP Photo)

MS Dhoni agreed the work out in the first two Tests showed in Bhuvneshwar's bowling. "I think, Bhuvi seemed to be a bit tired," Dhoni said. "But he came back nicely after that first spell. But I thought he was slightly on the shorter side. He got the right length in the first two Tests, but here he was slightly short. Apart from that I am quite happy with the effort put in by fast bowlers. It was a different kind of wicket, where you have to hit the deck hard to get some purchase. That's where I found Pankaj very impressive. He is a tall guy and got fair amount of bounce and was unlucky not to get a few wickets. Overall I am happy with him."

Dhoni revealed after India's heavy defeat that Sharma will not be fit in time for the fourth Test, which begins on August 7 at Old Trafford. "Definitely he won't be fit for the next game," Dhoni said during the post-match presentation at the Ageas Bowl. "Never really had a discussion with our physio, but as of now he won't be available for the fourth Test match."

India had been forced to leave Ishant out of the third Test at the Ageas Bowl after he suffered what the team management described as a "sore leg". Ishant, who took a match-winning seven-wicket haul in the final innings of the Lord's Test, was replaced by Pankaj Singh, who went wicketless on his Test debut at Southampton.

England wrapped up a 266-run win in the first session of the fifth day, with India adding only 66 to their overnight total for the loss of their last six wickets. Moeen Ali, the offspinning all-rounder, picked up a six-wicket haul. Dhoni said India didn't bat with the right approach against Moeen.

"I don't think we played good cricket over here but at the same time I think we played the fast bowlers well," Dhoni said. "Moeen I think he bowled well, but still we let him bowl well. It is very important to be positive against the spinner, especially when there is not much on offer. I think he bowled very good lines. If you keep defending, one odd ball will turn because there is considerable amount of wear and tear on the wicket."

Moeen took two wickets in the first innings as well, when Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane lost their wickets going for aggressive shots. This, Dhoni said, was a crucial phase in the match that India slipped up in.

"There were quite a few [soft dismissals], the phase where Jinks [Rahane] got out, a couple of other wickets that fell, that really had a big impact on the game. It was not only that half an hour, I think even last night, the last session really had a big impact on the game because we lost quite a few wickets, and quite a few of them were quite soft dismissals, and if we were in a good position last night, not losing those two or three wickets, definitely then you look at it in a different way."

Having gone into the first two Tests with five bowlers, India reverted to their usual strategy of six specialist batsmen and four specialist bowlers, with Stuart Binny making way for Rohit Sharma.Ishant is likely to be fit in time only for the Test series finale. (AP Photo)

"The reason was we never used the fifth bowler, so we thought maybe we'll be able to use the batsmen who can bowl a bit if needed," Dhoni said, when asked about the selection call. "We just bowled that fifth bowler for eight overs or ten overs so I thought with Shikhar [Dhawan] and Vijay and Rohit being around, we can use that fifth bowler.”

"It is not only that, I think once we got in with the four specialist bowlers I still think we need to get a bit more patient on wickets like these where there's not plenty to offer for the fast bowlers. We have to be consistent with our lines and lengths, and be a bit boring at times, hit the fourth stump mark consistently and ask the batsman to come and drive."

Asked whether India had the resources to bounce back from the defeat, Dhoni said they did, provided they played more positively.

"Definitely, when it comes to the talent part, yes. It will just be the mental approach, to be a bit more positive when it is in your areas, go ahead with your shot even if you get out playing that shot, back yourself because at the end of the day, what cricket really is is about the amount of runs you score and the wickets you take. You don't have to survive for long if you are scoring quickly."


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The Dhoni method of cricket improvement...

...lose early, take extra days off...for practice, of course!

Yahoo! Cricket – 20 hours ago

India batted a grand total of 89.4 overs across two innings at Old Trafford. The result: a loss by an innings and 54 runs. The larger outcome: More damage sustained to an already bruised overseas reputation. The manner of defeat was frustrating and the reaction of captain MS Dhoni - a man known to get away with saying anything, anywhere - typical.

But before we dwell on what Captain once-Cool said, let's see how Australia captain Michael Clarke had reacted when India were shredding his young side at home in 2013.

Here is what God's gift to Indian cricket had to say after India went down 1-2 at Manchester.

To summarise, Clarke accepted responsibility for the defeats and came down hard on his players, and led them out from a horrible slump of six consecutive Test losses. Australia won seven of their next eight games. Dhoni has chosen to laugh off India's loss and has said the 'extra' days off would benefit his team. How exactly remains to be seen.

Nothing quite right with this India

Everything went wrong for India at Old Trafford, in what was one of their two meekest Test performances since 8-0 - the other came just a few days ago, in Southampton.

By Sidharth Monga at Old Trafford | ESPNcricinfo – Sat 9 Aug, 2014 5:30 AM IST

Two sessions of rain. No Stuart Broad in the second innings. Lost inside three days. Eighty-nine overs and four balls of batting over two innings. Twelve wickets for 168 runs to Moeen Ali's part-time spin over two matches. Orphaned catches between wicketkeeper and slip. Long-on for the first ball No. 7 faces. No idea about which bowler should be bowling when. Easy run-out missed. Soft run-out conceded. Hurricane headed this way, for crying out loud. No one told the team. Best batsman refusing to correct weakness. Opener who has scored no century in three years picked without having done anything to suggest he has become better. Top order found out by extra pace and bounce in the pitch. Ravindra Jadeja batting ahead of R Ashwin and Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Selection of Pankaj Singh, who was desperately unlucky in Southampton, but does not bowl enough good balls for a man his pace. Everything has gone wrong for India. Lord's seems like it happened two years ago.

The cost of Lord's: an injured Ishant Sharma, a drop in Bhuvneshwar's intensity, a slightly less circumspect M Vijay and, as MS Dhoni mentioned, a camouflaging of the top order's shortcomings because the lower order had contributed.Dhoni: Plenty of questions, no answers. (Reuters)

Australia will be taking note: give them quick pitches. They played well on the seaming beast that was Lord's. No need for grass; their put-it-there bowlers get in the game that way. But on the quickest pitch they might have encountered - with the exception of the WACA in 2011-12 and the Wanderers late last year - their batsmen's disciplines went out of the window.

Leaving the ball wasn't so easy here. And if you have to play, you can't push meekly away from the body. Either drive and punch, or leave them. If you defend length balls, you move fully forward. Vijay couldn't here. The balls were quick and bouncing from a length. They were only getting half-forward in defence, Sourav Ganguly noted on day one.

Gautam Gambhir was a poor choice in the XVIII, leave alone the XI. His game has regressed, leave alone any signs of improvement. In the first innings he edged a straight ball that bounced a little extra. In the second he gloved a loopy short ball down leg. Cheteshwar Pujara is almost the opener. Why not just make him open if Shikhar Dhawan and Gambhir are going to be walking wickets? Well, his back foot has not been moving across. In the first innings he tried an uncharacteristically expansive drive away from the body. England do not have Dhawan and Jadeja behind the wicket; they are taking their catches.

Virat Kohli has a problem outside off - every batsman does, but his has persisted for too long. It is getting exposed brutally on a long tour. In South Africa, where he played well, he was not playing at deliveries that have been getting him out here. Look at the two balls Kohli faced before he got out in the second innings. Short of a length, wide, but he was still followed them with no intent of hitting them for fours. Nothing can be gained from these tendencies. You'll either edge them or block them back to the bowler or cover. Before the match he spent a lot of time working on his sweep. Go figure.

Ajikya Rahane was probably due a failure, but he played a poor shot minutes before lunch on the first morning. Dhoni might have played one of his best overseas knocks in a Test away from home, but his wicketkeeping and his captaincy are slipping further. He cannot continue to not go for catches that arrive between him and first slip. On the third morning, with new ball nine overs away, it seemed he wanted to keep Varun Aaron fresh for it. Pankaj Singh began well, got into a rhythm, but was removed two overs into the spell. On came Aaron. Neither here nor there. In Southampton, in the second session on the second day, bowlers bowled one-over spells for one hour. This is not one-day cricket.

On day two here, just before lunch, R Ashwin had got into good rhythm, flighting his offbreaks, staying away from funky variations, having batsmen play in front of their bodies, but when Jos Buttler arrived, mid-on went back to the fence. Fifteen minutes before lunch. Nine of the 31 runs that came before lunch in that period came through singles down the ground. That's how games drift.

To pick on little things when the main batsmen are looking more likely to get out than the lower order will sound a little strange, but it's the little things that are hurting India. The discipline and the bloody-mindedness of Lord's have evaporated. Batsmen got starts in Southampton, and gave them away. At Lord's, Dhoni took the game by the scruff of its neck; in Southampton he started playing for a draw in the second session of the first day. Chris Woakes' first ball after James Anderson finished his spell today didn't get Vijay out, but it represented a similar letting down of the guard as in Southampton. There he was run out being dopey; here he pushed at what might have been a one-day wide.

During the 8-0 in 2011 and 2012, Dhoni was asked more than once if the leaders of the team ever lost their cool and gave the team a rocket, and Dhoni always said there was nothing to be gained by that. It was a different team, with seniors who were supposed to know their responsibilities. He might want to blow a lid now. This has got to be more frustrating. England were 1-0 down, but India have played two of their meekest Tests since that horror run three years ago to squander this opportunity. Old Trafford might get flooded tomorrow, but it won't help India. Lord's seems like it happened two years ago.


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