Dravid respects Dhoni for showing the heart and passion to carry on in spite of all the harsh criticism he has received

Legendary India batsman Rahul Dravid has advised skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni to step down as captain of the Twenty20 side and also as leader of his Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise, the Chennai Super Kings.

However, Dravid stated that he believes Dhoni is currently still the ”only man” capable of leading the Test side and should continue to do so despite having an appalling record over the past 18 months.

“Not only is Dhoni the only man to lead India in Test cricket, he is still capable of doing the job well,” Dravid said. “What it will require from him is a change in the way he captains, a recognition that he can’t do everything all the time, and the willingness to ask for and accept help.

“Dhoni has got to recognise that he can’t continue to captain and play all the time, because it is making him stale… To start with, Dhoni could easily give up the India T20 and Chennai Super Kings captaincies…He needs to take breaks between captaining and keeping and playing.

“He should certainly play ODIs and T20s for India, because he is invaluable to the side. Giving up a couple of captaincy roles might give him more time in the main India job and the freshness to keep doing it. It would also give India an opportunity to perhaps give someone like (Virat) Kohli a chance to be T20 captain, break him into the job and see how he goes.”

Dhoni’s captaincy has come under heavy criticism recently, especially after losing to England in a four-Test series and Pakistan in a limited overs series on home soil.

Despite being in outstanding form as of late, many cricket pundits and former players believe Dhoni is beginning to show signs of exhaustion and fatigue.

While Dravid feels that Dhoni could potentially change his approach slightly, he still sees no real candidates capable of replacing the wicketkeeper batsman, who has led India to victory in the 2007 International Cricket Council (ICC) World Twenty20 and 2011 ICC World Cup.

“He has had a good run, and will be recognised as India’s most successful captain, and he now has a chance to extend it,” Dravid added. “Other than his leadership qualities, there is the fact that there are no alternatives to Dhoni at this stage.”

Opening batsman Gautam Gambhir was a candidate at one point for Dravid, but his dismal form in Test cricket has extinguished the little hope that he had.

“At one point we felt Gautam Gambhir could take over the job,” Dravid said. “In 2008-09, Gautam showed he could definitely play at the international level and in all formats. His captaincy of Kolkata Knight Riders in the last IPL was excellent.

“Yet what goes against him today is the fact that he has not scored too many Test runs in the last three years, and he averages under 32. Also, unlike Dhoni, Gautam does not have a second skill to back up his batting, even if that skill is being an excellent slip fielder.

“Still, Gautam’s batsmanship and experience remain very important for the team, and giving him the captaincy at a time like this would be a burden on him. Before anything else, he has to get his Test batting back on track. If he does, he still has age on his side.”

Batsman Virat Kohli has been groomed to take over the captaincy from Dhoni, but Dravid believes that the youngster still needs some time to evolve before stepping into a leadership role.

“Virat Kohli is the only other alternative leader, and he ticks the box of being an automatic selection in all three formats,” Dravid added. “Yet I believe it’s a little early for him. At the moment, he is a growing, developing cricketer.

“I would love for him to get the job after the next overseas cycle is done, with the end of the England tour in September 2014. If he can keep his form and develop till then, it will be a good time for him to take over. He is a long-term prospect as batsman and captain, but giving him the Test captaincy at this stage might be risky.”

Dravid also mentioned that Dhoni should stay on as captain until India have resolved all their transitional issues.

“Between the home series against Australia next month and the end of that England tour, there are 15 Test matches,” Dravid said. “At the end of those 15 Tests, if Dhoni can have turned things around for Indian cricket, have had a couple of good overseas tours, and can then hand over the captaincy to the next man, that would rank among his greatest achievements.

“He would have taken the responsibility of leading a team in transition and left it in a better state.”

Even though Dhoni has received a lot of criticism over the past year, he has still been able to defy the odds and carry on unscathed and Dravid believes that his resilience is something that deserves everyone’s respect.

“What I like about Dhoni is that he is a leader by example,” Dravid said. “We saw this in the Nagpur Test match – and not merely from his second-innings 99. In Nagpur, because the wicket was slow, Dhoni came up to the stumps to Ishant Sharma, who was bowling at 140kph.

“To do that was gutsy, because it had “break your finger” written all over it. Dhoni was willing to take that chance, and to me, in some ways, that shows leadership. Sometimes he promotes himself up the batting order at critical times – the World Cup final was a good example.

“He is willing to play through niggles and injuries. That provides an example for others in the team to follow. When he bats with the tail, he plays his shots, can improvise, and shows he is not there to protect his own runs or his wicket.”

Richardson sees Dhoni as a pioneer of the modern game

International Cricket Council (ICC) chief executive officer (CEO) David Richardson has backed India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, stating that people should not be so quick to judge him by “how much he misses”.

Dhoni has come under heavy fire from the media and former players for his team’s horrendous run after winning the 2011 ICC World Cup on home soil.

“The only way you judge a keeper by how much he misses and Dhoni doesn’t miss too much,” Richardson said. “ In fact, I have always marvelled at his work load, the fact that he is batting at No.6, captaining and keeping wickets.”

Richardson stated that one of the most prominent and aspiring qualities of Dhoni was his ability to stay calm in pressure situations.

“I think that he has exceptional talent,” Richardson added. “He also stays calm with his job. He is a good captain and he should remain at the helm.”

Richardson also believes that the Indian Premier League (IPL) has done more good than harm for the game and noted that many more youngsters are getting the opportunity to play against their heroes and make a case for themselves.

“The IPL has more positives than the negatives,” Richardson said. “The skills developed in all three departments of the game, it added to the skills of the international players.”

When asked about the growing number of domestic Twenty20 tournaments around the world, Richardson stated that they have to be properly regulated and the organisers have to ensure that it is “professionally run” as well.

“At the moment we have our working group looking at the possible regulations regarding domestic T20 league,” Richardson added. “But the organisers need to understand that if they are to survive they need to be professionally run.”

Ganguly cannot understand why Dhoni chooses to come in at number six

Former India captain Sourav Ganguly has announced that the national team’s lack of positivity while batting cost them the ODI series against arch-rivals Pakistan.

Ganguly questioned why India had not taken a more attacking approach against the Pakistani spinners, especially since the new International Cricket Council (ICC) ODI rules only allow four players outside the 30-yard circle during non-designated powerplay overs.

“The Pakistan spinners were exemplary, but what surprised me was the lack of intent to attack on part of the Indian batting,” Ganguly said. “They should have played more positively. They came with the mindset that 250 is not a big score, so bat 50 overs and win.

“Though the Pakistan bowlers bowled better than they have done [at any other time], it is important to play every ball on merit and the Indians just went into their shell. They looked like a batting unit short on confidence.”

Throughout the ODI series, the Indian batting line-up constantly collapsed, leaving only captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni to pile on as many runs as he could before he ran out of partners.

Having been recognised as one of the most talented batsmen in ODI cricket, Ganguly could not get his head around the idea of Dhoni coming in at number six.

“Dhoni continued to bat lower down; he was the man in form and in such situations [with the team struggling] it’s important that the man in form or the captain stands up,” Ganguly said. “He played superbly in Chennai and I still don’t understand the reason why he has to bat at 29 for 5 or 70 for 4, rather than going in at 40 for 1. It really baffles me, somebody so gifted under-using his talent.”

Dhoni is still contemplating whether Jadeja is good enough to be India’s long-term all-rounder

While Ravindra Jadeja has made a case for himself being India’s newest all-rounder, captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni is still not convinced that he has truly got a genuine all-rounder who can help the national team in all aspects over a long period of time.

Dhoni admitted that the new International Cricket Council (ICC) ODI rules, which state that five fielders must be within the 30-yard circle during all non-designated powerplay overs posed a serious problem for India, especially since they heavily rely upon part-timers to provide wickets during the middle overs.

“We are used to play with part-timers,” Dhoni said. “Now it’s difficult for part-timers to bowl with five players inside the circle. If there’s dew, then you don’t get turns as well. It becomes more difficult.

“With the new rules, you’ve to assess whether six batsmen are enough or seven. It’s very difficult to play with the part-timers and expect them to bowl 10 overs, what we’re looking at is somebody who can fill in the gap – a genuine all-rounder to bring in the balance in the side. Lower order contribution is also very important especially when you’re chasing.”

Dhoni noted that the new rules give batsmen more of an advantage when chancing their arms and when they look to work the ball into the gaps, which he believes is an easy task for any set batsman.

“Once five fielders are inside, there’s tendency to look for big shots which will often fetch wickets,” Dhoni added. “So it’s important to treat the deliveries as it comes on their merit without looking for a very big score.

“Earlier it was important to get as many runs possible in the three Power Plays. But with the new rules, you’ve five players inside throughout, which means if you’re set then there are very good chances to get good runs. It’s about being in good form and playing as many overs as possible.

“In the last game, we saw if you’ve wickets in hand and if your main batsmen are still there, then you can get a lot of runs. You’ll have to keep wickets in hand and treat every ball as it comes without thinking too much ahead.”

In regards to India’s disappointing performances over the past 18 months, Dhoni explained that the national team were going through a transitional phase after winning the ICC World Cup in 2011.

“We’re going through a transition period whether it’s Test or ODIs,” Dhoni said. “Even in ODIs, most of our main bowlers are injured which means we are lacking a bit of experience. They are fresh bowlers, the more they play, the better they get. I am not really worried too much about it. They just need proper exposure.”

While India’s bowlers seem to have made a huge improvement in the past number of series, many of their senior batsmen in the side are still stuck in a rut.

However, Dhoni defended the team’s batsmen, stating that they were doing extremely well in the limited overs format.

“We have batted well in shorter versions,” Dhoni said. “It was one off game in the last ODI. It would be wrong to judge our batsmen on that basis. We have seen if the top batsmen have failed others have taken up the responsibility well and the bowlers have defended as well.

“Of course batting has been a bit of a problem. That’s one area where we should have been really good. But it happens in cricket. It’s the right time for all the batsmen to come back among runs.”

Dhoni also brushed aside all the criticism targeted towards him and mentioned that he would rather focus on improving his game and use it to silence his critics.

“It’s their views,” Dhoni added. “You’ve to respect their views. My job is to play cricket and help the youngsters. Everybody knows what’s the problem. We are more worried about how to do well as a team.”

The Indian captain also praised the early starts to ODI matches and pointed out that the dew factor would not be such a big issue to any of the teams now.

“It’s good to start early,” Dhoni said. “Because of the dew factor, we have seen 70-75 per cent times, the team batting second wins, unless you got off to a really bad start. Now, the toss would not become vital and the wicket will remains quite the same in both the innings.

“But at the end of the day, you’ve to play good cricket to win the game. You can’t rely too much on toss.”

If India want to perform well in all three formats then they have to mend their ways.No player should be allowed to play in all three formats, at least they have to leave one format.Test Cricket is ultimate, you can’t be a great player or great team without putting a good performance in that format.Senior players like Sachin, Sehwag and Zaheer must play only tests, they must not play in other two formats.Dhoni must be a captain in these format and in other two formats he shouldn’t.Surly, he can play in one days but must not play in T20 format.Off course he can lead his IPL side.

In my personal view Gautam Gambhir should lead India in one day and Yuvraj Singh should lead India in T20 format, because as I have said no player should play in all format so there won’t be Virat Kohli playing in T20 cricket because India needs his service in Test and one days. I will also suggest that IPL matches must be reduced to half as it harms Indian cricket a lot, Eighty matches is just much and that too in the span of less then two months. BCCI have already asked ICC to allow a window for IPL, instead of asking for it, BCCI should arrange a window for domestic Cricket.

In my view these steps will help Indian cricket to improve and get better results for itself.Indian cricketers playing too much of Cricket.Reduction of matches is very necessary, hence I have suggested these steps to reduce matches.

ہندوستانی کرکٹ ٹیم کے کپتان اور مایہ ناز وکٹ کیپر بلے باز مہندرا سنگھ دھونی۔ اے پی فائل فوٹو۔

نئی دہلی: انڈین کرکٹ ٹیم کے کپتان اور مایہ ناز وکٹ کیپر بیٹسمین مہندرا سنگھ دھونی نے آرام کی غرض سے ایرانی کپ میں شرکت سے معذرت کر لی ہے۔

 واضح رہے کہ ہندوستانی ڈومیسٹک ٹورنامنٹ ایرانی کپ چھ فروری سے شروع ہوگا۔

 مہندرا سنگھ دھونی نے میڈیا سے بات چیت کرتے ہوئے کہا کہ پاکستان اور انگلینڈ کے خلاف ٹف سیریز کے بعد وہ کچھ عرصہ آرام کرنا چاہتے ہیں۔

 انہوں نے کہا کہ فروری کے آخر میں آسٹریلیا نے ہندوستان کا دورہ کرنا ہے اس لئے انکی کوشش ہوگی کہ اپنی تمام تر توجہ اس سیریز پر مرکوز رکھیں۔

Gavaskar feels that Dhoni needs some time off to “reflect on his game”

Former India batsman Sunil Gavaskar has announced that relieving captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni of his post as skipper will hugely benefit himself and the national team as well.

Gavaskar noted that Dhoni should still remain in the team, but could use the time away from all the pressure and responsibilities to ”reflect on his game”.

“It’s still early days as far as 2015 World Cup is concerned, and I believe that a break in captaincy will do wonders for Dhoni,” Gavaskar told NDTV. ”I am not saying that it has to happen during the middle of a series but maybe after the Australia series [in February] or later part of 2013.”

Gavaskar’s comments came after a tough 18 months for the Indian team, during which they were whitewashed by England and Australia before being beaten at home for the first time in eight years.

India have also failed to have any success in the limited overs format after their triumph in the 2011 International Cricket Council (ICC) World Cup, especially since they have not been able to make the finals of the CB series or Asia Cup and were also dumped out in the super eights stage of the ICC World Twenty20 in September last year.

While Gavaskar praised Dhoni for keeping his cool during pressure situations, the former batsman noted that the Indian captain had to seriously consider rethinking his game before his time as an international cricketer runs out.

“He needs time to reflect on his game and come back in a better way,” Gavaskar said. “I am very impressed with the manner [in which] he remains cool and unlike other captains doesn’t clap and all, but a little break won’t be bad.

“Captaining India is a privilege but the demands and pressures that come with it are incredible … He can be part of the team [without being captain] for the next couple of years as he is a match-winner.”

At the conclusion of India’s 2-1 Test defeat to England last year, Gavaskar stated that batsman Virat Kohli was ready to take over the reigns from Dhoni.

Gavaskar once again reiterated that feeling, saying that Dhoni was a much better limited overs player and added that his game was more suited to the format as well.

“I could be wrong but Virat Kohli might bring the flair of Tiger Pataudi in his captaincy,” Gavaskar said. “If he knows that he will be appointed for the long term, he has the dynamism, the aggression, panache and class.

“I like everything about him apart from his mouthing abuses when he reaches a milestone. I don’t want him to change anything else, as he can bring in a lot of dynamism.”

Dhoni noted that Tendulkar’s presence would be missed by every member of the ODI team

India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has paid tribute to veteran batsman Sachin Tendulkar after he announced his retirement from ODIs, stating that the ‘Little Master’ has been an inspiration for the entire team.

Dhoni admitted that Tendulkar had helped him develop his game substantially over the past couple of years and added that it was going to be tough to find a replacement for him.

“I learnt a lot from him whenever I got a chance to bat in the ODI (One-Day International) format,” Dhoni said. “I think his contribution is immense and it will be difficult to replace him.”

Dhoni also stated that Tendulkar’s outstanding ODI record would encourage plenty of youngsters to take up the sport with hopes of being able to represent their country in the future.

“We will also be very disappointed not to see Sachin score his 50th century and 100th half-century in the ODIs, as he had retired with a world record of 49 hundreds and 96 fifties,” Dhoni added.

Amongst all the things Dhoni picked up from Tendulkar, the India captain pointed out that the two most important lessons he learnt were how to accept defeat and how to stay humble both on and off the field.

“All these things helped me personally,” Dhoni said. “It is good that Sachin is still playing in one of the formats (Tests) as there is plenty for youngsters to learn from him.”

Dhoni further mentioned that Tendulkar’s decision to retire was made on his own and he had not, at any point in time, attempted to try and make him reconsider.

“No,” Dhoni said bluntly. “It was his personal decision and we respect it.”

Alistair Cook’s men faltered once again with the bat as they were bundled out for just 155, in what was the inaugural ODI at Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s home ground.

The target never troubled the powerful Indian batting line-up as they chased down the mediocre score with more than 20 overs to spare thanks to an unbeaten 77 from Virat Kohli.

England made a solid start after being put into bat first but the middle and lower order collapse put them on the back foot.

The tourists lost skipper Cook for a leg before, when he walked across his stumps and was hit in front by a Shami Ahmed ball that curved back.

Ian Bell and Kevin Pietersen added 44 runs in 41 balls, but both batsmen were out in consecutive overs.

Pietersen tried pulling away from a length ball from Ishant Sharma that rose sharply; the bat was forced into the flap of his front pad.

If there was doubt in his dismissal, there was none in the next over as Dhoni collected the ball from Bell’s nick behind off Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

The three lions never recovered from the loss of the top order and were now teetering on 98-6. Ashwin removed Eoin Morgan, Craig Kieswetter and Samit Patel soon followed departing to the left arm spin of Ravindra Jadeja.

Jadeja snuck one though Kieswetter’s defence which crashed into the stumps and followed it up by pinning Patel lbw.

Joe Root top scored with 39 while everyone around him crumbled; only Tim Bresnan’s knock of 25 down the order gave England a respectable total. Jadeja finished with the pick of the bowling figures of 3-19.

India’s comfortable run chase proved the pitch was good to bat on, it had been predicted to be a 300 plus pitch for the team batting first.

Although early in the innings Steve Finn clean bowled Ajinkiya Rahane, Virat Kohli made sure England were doing all the chasing in the field.

Ghautam Ghambhir and Kohli shared 67 run stand for the third wicket, Ghambhir played a patient knock of 33 off 53 balls in which he mainly gave Kohli the strike.

James Tredwell had Ghambhir caught at mid- on, which brought out Yuvraj Singh.

Yuvraj came out fired up, his innings of 31 included six fours in which he played two delightful strokes off Jade Dernbach, firstly flicking the pacer through midwicket and then a picture perfect drive past deep extra over.

Kohli launched two heavy blows off James Tredwell; he sent one over long on as he ran down the track and lofted another straight over midwicket.

Tredwell had his second wicket when he cleaned up Yuvraj ending a 66 run partnership, which left Dhoni very little to do.

Kohli’s sparking innings included two maximums and nine boundaries as he carried his bat off with an unbeaten 77 from 79 balls meaning no one deserved the man of the award more than him.

However, the home boy MS Dhoni did have the final say with four runs left for victory; he hammered a powerful pull from a short delivery from Finn to the square leg boundary taking India home with over 20 overs to spare.

The teams will now resume battle in Mohali for the fourth ODI on Wednesday; England must win the match to keep the series alive.

Pietersen is currently one of the highest paid players in the IPL

India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has announced that the Indian Premier League (IPL) will gradually start to attract more England players in the future.

Dhoni, who is also the skipper of the Chennai Super Kings franchise, currently believes that the availability of England players is the main barrier stopping them from playing in the star-studded tournament and not the lack of talent as many other people claim.

While many of the England players’ performances during the four-Test series may have put them on the radar of numerous IPL franchises, Dhoni stated that the England and Wales Cricket Board’s (ECB) limited window for IPL participation could in fact deter a lot of the teams from bidding on English players.

IPL commissioner Rajiv Shukla believes that England captain Alastair Cook and left-arm spinner Monty Panesar could be two of the highest paid players if they decide to enter the auction for this year’s edition of the tournament.

However, with England’s international priorities taking precedence over the IPL, Dhoni noted that only “special” players like Kevin Pietersen will get a lot of interest from a majority of the franchises.

“Most of the time when the IPL happens, I don’t think the English team has a clear period – so they’re not available for the full 45 to 50 days of cricket,” Dhoni said. “That’s a big concern when it comes to some of the IPL franchises.

“The English team have fantastic talent, players who can have a big impact in the shorter format. If most of them were available for the full 45 or 50 days, I could see England players coming to the IPL.”

The 2013 edition of the IPL is set to begin on April 3, which is just a week after England wrap up their tour of New Zealand, and is scheduled to end on May 26.

However, England’s home series against New Zealand begins on May 16 and this could be a potential point, where any England player participating in the IPL, would have to pack their bags and head home.

While Pietersen and Eoin Morgan are the only two centrally contracted England players with an IPL contract, Dhoni admitted that he was unsure whether more of their team-mates would be joining them this year.

“Kevin Pietersen is a really different batsman,” Dhoni said. “If he’s available for half a season, the sides can still gamble that he can play seven or eight games at least. He’s a special player. But you have to be that special.”

Off-spinner Graeme Swann, pace bowler James Anderson and wicketkeeper batsman Matt Prior entered themselves into the 2012 IPL auction, but failed to get any bids.

Fast bowler Stuart Broad was signed by the Kings XI Punjab in 2011, but was released last year after missing consecutive seasons of the tournament due to injury.

However, Luke Wright, who is not a centrally contracted player, but still a member of England’s Twenty20 side, will represent the Pune Warriors in this year’s edition.

While Cook may not even be in England’s Twenty20 plans, Shukla believes that his Test performance during the four-Test series will attract a lot more bids if he were to join the auction.

“I think so, I think it might well do that,” Shukla told The Times. “England have done very well and the franchises are most definitely aware of what has been happening in this series. The English domestic schedule can make it difficult for players to play for long here, and franchises will look at that, but these Test matches have definitely raised expectations of the players from television viewers. I am sure Indian people would love to see them again.

“Cook might be one. Test and Twenty20 cricket are different but Indian people know about him now as he made a very good impression. Monty Panesar could definitely be another, he is very popular over here already, and there are probably some others.”

Vivek Kaul

Bill Bryson, probably the best travel writer of this age, once wrote “You can never make a waiter see you before he’s ready to see you, you can never beat the phone company, and you can never go home again.”
The flourish of the statement notwithstanding it clearly isn’t a law of physics. Mahendra Singh Dhoni is going home again today and playing an international cricket match in a city where it all began for him. Life has come a full circle for Dhoni.
Dhoni put Ranchi, a city of around 10 lakh people, and no heroes other than freedom fighter Birsa Munda and Param Veer Chakra winner Albert Ekka, on the map of India and the rest of the world. He explains it best when he says “When I started my international career, people during the overseas tours used to ask me where I came from. I would first say India, then Jharkhand and then Ranchi. The next question invariably was, ‘Where is Ranchi?’ I had to explain in different ways by saying, ‘It’s near Calcutta, near Jamshedpur from where Tata originated. It’s India richest state in terms of minerals.”
Having been born and brought up in Ranchi I can totally relate to what Dhoni is trying to say here. My childhood retort to the question ‘Where is Ranchi?’, used to be that its the city through which the Tropic of Cancer passes, not knowing that the Tropic of Cancer was an imaginary line passing through a lot of other places in India as well.
Also Ranchi was Agra’s less famous cousin. In popular speak “Agra jaana hai kya” has never meant visiting the Taj Mahal, but the famous mental hospital in the city. Along similar lines Ranchi was famous, at least in parts of Eastern India, for its Kanke Mental Hospital, with the phrase “Kanke jaana hai kya” being seen as an insult on anyone it was used.
After Dhoni burst onto the cricketing scene in 2004, questions about the geographical whereabouts of Ranchi were confined to the dustbins of history. Having said that the question I try and answer in this piece is that what was Ranchi before it became that city from which Dhoni comes from?
One of the surprising facts that I learnt from my social studies text book in the third standard was that Ranchi is also called the hill station of Bihar (since 2000, Ranchi has been the capital of Jharkhand, before that it was a part of Bihar).
A few years later I understood that the textbook had not been updated since the 1960s when Ranchi actually was a hill station where the Bengali bhadralok came to visit and stay during the summer months. The story goes that the industrialist Aditya Birla and his wife Rajasree honeymooned in Ranchi. What would have given the city the tag of a hill station was the fact that it rained a lot even during the summer months.
But as the city expanded and the forests and the greenery was cut down, the temperatures rose, crossing 40 degree Celsius during the summer months, and it could no longer be called a hill station.
The next big thing to happen in the city was the setting up of a large number of public sector enterprises. This included the Heavy Engineering Corporation (HEC), Central Coalfields Ltd(CCL), Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL), MECON Limited, formerly known as (Metallurgical & Engineering Consultants (India) etc. This was primarily because the area around Ranchi was richly endowed in minerals.
Dhoni’s father Pan Singh was an employee at MECON Ltd. The setting up of public sector enterprises brought people from all over India to Ranchi, and this included Pan Singh as well, who originally belonged to the Almora district in Uttarkhand.
Jawahar Lal Nehru’s big decision of setting up public sector enterprises and not encouraging entrepreneurship and private business may have cost the country dearly, but it did give us a Mahendra Singh Dhoni. It is unlikely that Dhoni would have become what he has if his father would have continued living in his village in Almora. If it was not for Nehru’s vision which screwed up India, Dhoni might have been a humble farmer in Uttarkhand. Even unintended consequences can be healthy at times.
The other interesting thing that happened starting in the 1980s was that Ranchi started sending an astonishing number of students to the IITs for a city of its size. In the mid 1980s, St Xavier’s College, Ranchi, send in 73 students to the IITs in a single year. And this was before coaching became the norm. What cities like Kota are doing now, Ranchi did in the 1980s.
The year 1983 also saw Ranchi fall to the Hip Hip Hurray phenomenon. Hip Hip Hurray was the first film directed by the now famous director Prakash Jha. And he shot the movie in two schools in Ranchi, Vikas Vidyalaya and the Bishop Westcott. I remember seeing posters of the film being plastered all over the city and the elders being quite excited about a full Hindi film having been shot in the city.
So that was as exciting as the city got while I was growing up there. Another important landmark for Ranchi was in the early 1990s when the entire city did not have power during the peak of summer for a period of 15 days. Rumor mills were abuzz that Lalu Yadav had got the entire thing done, so that power could be transmitted to Patna and other parts of North Bihar, which were reeling under a heat wave. This was the last nail in the coffin for Lalu Yadav and his party when it came to winning elections in Jharkhand.
Dear reader, if you have managed to read this far, you will realise that Ranchi, the city where I and Dhoni grew up in, was a city where nothing much happened. The modern sense of the term being, it was boring. It did have its odd ironies though, like the fact that the most famous shopping complex in the city was owned by the Gossner Evangelical Lutheran Church.
But to me Ranchi will remain the city of dark clouds and rain. And red gulmohar in all its glory. And power cuts. And studying under a kerosene lamp with the hope that power would come back by the time Chitrahar started. And learning tricks of how to rekindle extinguishing candle flames. And listening to the brilliant Ameen Sayani host the Binaca Geet Maala with me making notes of the song rankings. And having sofites at Firayalal. And boarding auto-rickshaws with even nine people at times. All this before it got that man called Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

The trouble with nostalgia is that if it gets too nostalgic, there is a danger of creating a time and a place, which did not exist. So let me stop here.

The article originally appeared on http://www.firstpost.com on January 19,2013.

(Vivek Kaul is a writer. He was born and brought up in Ranchi. He can be reached at vivek.kaul@gmail.com) 

India are nowhere near the dominating force they used to be

Legendary England batsman Geoffrey Boycott believes that India are no longer the dangerous and threatening force they used to be and added that touring the country seems to be much easier nowadays.

While India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni continues to insist that the team is going through a difficult transition period, Boycott noted that there are several superstars who are well past their prime.

“India are not the force they have been in the past,” Boycott wrote in his column for the Daily Telegraph. “Two great batsmen have retired in VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid while Sachin Tendulkar is no longer the great player he once was.

“Harbhajan Singh and Zaheer Khan have been fine bowlers but are past their best. You could say touring India is a bit easier now because the hotels are better, English food in the big cities is excellent and travelling is so much easier.”

Boycott praised England skipper Alastair Cook for his excellent captaincy and was even more impressed at how he was able to lead his team to a 2-1 win after suffering an embarrassing nine wicket loss during the first Test in Ahmedabad.

“Earlier this year we lost three Tests against Pakistan and one against Sri Lanka,” Boycott added. “We then batted appallingly in the first Test at Ahmedabad to lose by an innings. Suddenly everybody in India thought this set of England players would roll over and get beaten 4-0.

“They deserve a lot of praise for showing character, determination and ability to come back and win well in Mumbai and Kolkata. That was not straightforward either because England have had problems. They had to find a new opening batsman after Andrew Strauss’s retirement. They have also had to identify another middle-order player in, first, Jonny Bairstow and then Joe Root.

“Their big fast bowler, Steven Finn, has broken down twice so could only play in one Test and Stuart Broad featured only in two matches, failing to take a wicket before succumbing to injury. Tim Bresnan played in two Test matches but he has been 10km slower and pretty easy to face since his elbow operation earlier this year.”

Boycott believes that Cook, batsman Kevin Pietersen, pace bowler James Anderson and England’s spin duo of Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar all played crucial roles in helping the national team break their 28-year losing streak in India.

“England have won this series with only three major bowlers: James Anderson, Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar,” he said. “Alastair Cook, Kevin Pietersen and Anderson have been outstanding. We have seen a true world-class performance from each of them. Our two spinners, Swann and Panesar, outbowled the two Indian spinners.”

Gavaskar is convinced that replacing Dhoni with Kohli will be the right move for India

Former India batsman Sunil Gavaskar believes that Virat Kohli is ready to replace Mahendra Singh Dhoni as the national team’s new Test captain.

Gavaskar noted that Kohli’s solid century during the final Test at Nagpur was an indication that he was capable of batting under pressure, which is exactly what captains should be able to do.

“Till the fourth day of the Nagpur Test, I would have backed Dhoni,” Gavaskar told NDTV. “Now that Virat has come up with a hundred under trying circumstances where he curbed his natural game, he discovered a good part about himself.

“He is ready to take on the mantle of Test cricket [captain]. That needs to be looked at in a positive manner by everyone concerned, as that is where the future lies.”

India’s 2-1 loss was not only a huge embarrassment, but it also gave England their first win in the country in 28 years.

Gavaskar stated that India also needed to be more proactive during the final Test, especially since it was an opportunity for them to end the series as a 2-2 draw.

“India could not get enough wickets on day four,” Gavaskar added. “Also, they doodled around in the first hour on day four. If India had wanted to win the Test, they could have shown some intent by declaring on the overnight total [on day three] or by asking the tailenders to play slam-bang cricket.

“Yes, England batted well. But you do not position a forward-short leg or silly point to get a catch there; you do that to force a batsman to give a catch some place else. Trott or Bell might have done something stupid then. India could have attacked more. But that’s not the only reason India lost. Our bowlers were by and large ineffective.”

The former batsman also criticised many of the senior players for not pulling their weight throughout the series.

“Looking at the Jadeja’s, the Kohli’s … you can easily see there is recognition, an appreciation there for Test cricket,” Gavaskar said. “It is some of the guys who have been around, who have done well in the past that are being a bit casual about it over the last couple of years.”

Cook thanked his team for their all-round contribution

England captain Alastair Cook has announced that breaking the national team’s 28-year losing streak in India was “on par” with winning the Ashes against arch-rivals Australia.

Cook became only the fourth England captain to win a Test series in India, joining a club, which boasts three other legends by the names of Douglas Jardine, David Gower and Tony Greig.

Many cricket pundits and former players praised Cook for his outstanding leadership skills throughout the series and were even more impressed that he managed to pull off a 2-1 series win in his debut Test series as captain and also after being 1-0 down at the end of the first Test in Ahmedabad.

Cook once again reiterated the feeling that this win was as good as beating Australia in the Ashes series.

“It is obviously a very special day, a special tour,” he said. “I think it is on a par with the Ashes. As an Englishman winning in Australia after so long meant a huge amount. But to be in that that dressing room there for that last half an hour knowing what we had achieved was a very special place and it will live long in my memory.”

Cook’s 562 run contribution with the bat showed that he was ready to lead by example and the team’s spin duo of Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar played a crucial role in using the turning pitches India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has asked for to their advantage.

“We have played on four very different wickets,” Cook said. “We didn’t handle the Ahmedabad wicket so well, but the other three wickets were all very different in sub-continent style. Everyone in this squad can be proud of what they achieved, especially the way we bounced back after the heavy defeat in Ahmedabad.

“I was surprised at the level we managed to achieve so soon after Ahmedabad to be honest with you. I was talking about playing to our potential but I was surprised we managed to do it straightaway and put all those doubts to bed and prove to ourselves that we could bat in these conditions.”

The England captain thanked Dhoni for the sharply turning pitch in Mumbai, which allowed Swann and Panesar to rip right through the Indian batting lineup and tie the series at one apiece.

“After the first game in Ahmedabad it would have been so easy to let head drops, but we showed a lot of character in Mumbai,” he said. “I think the fact it was a result wicket in Mumbai really helped us.

“It freed us up knowing that one way or another there would be a result and that people weren’t expecting us to win. Once we got over that mental hurdle and were able to trust our ability on these wickets with the bat we certainly made a big leap forward.”

Cook believes that his players really started to shine after watching his fighting performance in the second innings of the first Test.

“You want to prove that the captaincy is not a burden,” Cook added. “To do it straight away is a big monkey of your back. It made me very proud that night when I went home after the game. If it gave other people confidence that is even more pleasing.”

As the series went along, Cook started getting vital contributions from all his batsmen and bowlers, which turned out to be the final nail in the coffin for India, who struggled to do anything right after winning the first Test by nine wickets.

“They are big characters in the dressing room,” Cook said. “The support they have given me, I couldn’t have asked for anything more. To captain those guys can be tough in certain circumstances, but you want that, you want a lot of ideas and strong opinions because that is when you normally get the best thinking done.”

Cook noted that the pitch in Nagpur had been extremely slow and uneven at first, but later turned out to be a batsman’s dream, which was exactly what England needed to draw the match and walk out of India with a 2-1 win.

“We were slightly surprised by the pitch at the start, how low and slow it was,” Cook said. “We thought it would get worse but actually it got better. We knew when we were batting in the second innings it was going to be very hard for India to take those wickets and if we applied ourselves with not too many soft dismissals it would be very hard to bowl us out.”

Cook credited Warwickshire pair Jonathan Trott and Ian Bell for their match-saving 208 run partnership, in which both batsmen reached managed to reach triple figures before both captains agreed to end the match as a draw.

“I can’t credit the batters enough for fronting up and taking on that challenge,” Cook added. “Normally there are a few nerves on day like this but the calm way that Trotty and Belly batted was just fantastic. You can say it’s a flat wicket but when you know you have to bat for 150 overs a series win seems a long way away.”

Dhoni is convinced that this is not the lowest point of his international career

India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni believes the current struggles of the national team cannot even be compared to the hardships they endured after losing the 2007 International Cricket Council (ICC) World Cup.

Even after being whitewashed on their tour to England and Australia in 2011 to early 2012 and being humiliated once again by the English on their home soil before losing to arch-rivals Pakistan in a limited overs series, Dhoni stated that this was nowhere close to being the lowest point of his international career.

“It has been tough,” Dhoni said. “But there are not many things that will come close to when we lost the 2007 50-over World Cup. This is not even close to that.”

Dhoni noted that India were merely going through a rebuilding stage and would bounce back from their recent failures.

“We are going through a tough time, we are going through a stage where we will have to see what will work for us,” Dhoni said. “A few big players for us have left us. Youngsters coming up will have to fill the gap, and seniors will have to take extra responsibility till the juniors start getting runs or start taking wickets.”

Dhoni also mentioned that it was wrong of many people to judge spinner Piyush Chawla’s performance during the final Test, given the fact that their criticisms were solely based only one match.

“It’s very difficult if you assess a youngster based on one performance,” Dhoni said. “You have to see how they go once they play a few games. They will get the exposure. Not to forget Piyush came after five years so he will feel the nerves. It wasn’t a fantastic wicket for him to bowl.

“There was no pace. It’s very difficult to deceive the batsman with his wrong’un or the legbreaks. You have to analyse everything. Just don’t see the stats – so many overs, so many maidens, so many runs, wicket column empty – and think you have bowled badly. We have seen you get wickets off full tosses or caught at point through a cut. We need to analyse honestly to see if the batsman or the bowler is doing well. It’s not only the runs that say the batsman is batting well or five wickets in the bowler’s case.”

The Indian captain stated that it was especially important to continue supporting and backing the youngsters throughout their transition period from first-class cricket to the world of international cricket.

“What you need to see is if you don’t give youngsters chances how do you know whether they are good enough or not?” Dhoni said. “You won’t get all of them scoring big hundreds in their first game. Some of the big players, they started off with even four or five zeros.

“You have to back youngsters who you think are very talented. Who you think can succeed at the top level. Even if they don’t score in a few games, it is important to back them. It’s about trying them and giving them a chance to prove themselves. Scoring runs in domestic cricket is not a certain sign they will score at the top level but you have to back them so you know with proper exposure at first-class level and proper backing at international level, at some time they will start scoring.”

Dhoni admitted that England’s batsmen and pace bowlers had been a class above India’s throughout the entire series.

“In this series the batting was the department that was lacking,” he said. “In the sense we needed to score more runs. Mumbai was a tough wicket, but apart from that we were not able to get into big partnerships.

“In cricket it’s not about who is scoring how many runs. It’s about between two individuals how big the partnership is. We were not really able to have those big partnerships that can have the big impact, especially when playing in subcontinent.”

India’s spin duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Pragyan Ojha were completely outshone by England’s Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar for most of the series, while Dhoni conceded that pace bowler James Anderson had also played a crucial role in England’s 2-1 win.

“Anderson bowled very well throughout the series on wickets that there was no help for the fast bowler,” he said. “That was crucial. He tested the batsmen all the time. In his second or third spell when he started to get reverse and yet the ball was slightly on the harder side. The major difference between the two sides was James Anderson who bowled really well.”

When asked if the cricketing community will ever see iconic batsman Sachin Tendulkar again, Dhoni simply said: “I hope so.”

His answer about whether Tendulkar had told him anything regarding his retirement was even shorter as he said: ”No.”

Dhoni is sick and tired of Gambhir’s “selfish” attitude

After coming under heavy criticism for the recent embarrassments in front of their home fans at the hands of England and Pakistan, India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni seems to be heading in a new direction and will not let anyone ruin it.

According to reports, Dhoni has already lodged a complaint to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) against team-mate and opening batsman Gautam Gambhir for his poor ”attitude and on-field ethics”.

Dhoni noted that Gambhir is more concerned about himself than the team and in his complaint to the BCCI, he is believed to have said that the opening batsman’s newfound egotistic attitude has made him more “selfish” and, more importantly, it has been “hurtful to the team”.

An anonymous Indian player said: “Of late Gambhir has gone into a shell and focusing on just to save his place in the team. His prolonged poor form has resulted in low self-esteem and he’s cut off from other issues pertaining to the team.

“But what irked Dhoni was Gambhir playing for himself and not for the team. It was evident in the way Gambhir batted in the second innings of the Mumbai Test that he was more interested in carrying his bat by remaining not out, rather than shielding the tailenders and scoring quick runs.

“Every run was crucial but Gambhir chose to be a mute spectator. The whole world saw that and everyone was taken aback. The effort to contribute to the team wasn’t there. Look how well R Ashwin batted with maturity during his unbeaten 91 in the Kolkata Test and he isn’t a specialist batsman. He shepherded the tailenders superbly and scored vital runs. If Ashwin can do, why couldn’t Gambhir?”

While the player stated that there was no bad blood between Dhoni and Gambhir, he did mentioned that the Indian captain was still confused about how Gambhir had managed to be involved in a majority of the run outs during the four-Test series against England.

“On both occasions, Gambhir was at fault,” the anonymous player said. “While there were clearly three runs in Sehwag’s case which Gambhir declined, the call for a run to Pujara was ill-judged. He was having a tough time against Steven Finn and wanted to get off the strike. His desperation cost Pujara his wicket. Dhoni doesn’t have doubts about his integrity or commitment.”

However, a source close to Gambhir noted that Dhoni’s complaint to the BCCI may be a gimmick since his captaincy is “under fire” and that Gambhir is currently one of the frontrunners to replace him.

“Dhoni’s captaincy is under fire,” the source said. “He’s being censured by one and all. His place in the Test team is questioned; his defensive and unimaginative mindset as a captain is unmasked, so he’s trying to pass the buck and blame others – whether his batsmen, spinners, Sehwag and now Gambhir – to save his face.

“He (Dhoni) sees Gambhir as a potential threat to his captaincy and wants to undermine him. Mohinder Amarnath has tipped Gambhir to take over the captaincy from Dhoni and proclaimed that Dhoni uses his clout in the BCCI to push his agenda. He thinks that he can dictate terms in every matter.”

Dhoni is confident his team still have the ability to top the rankings across all three formats

India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has vowed that his side will bounce back after their humiliating loss to England and Pakistan in front of their home fans.

India were absolutely embarrassed by England during their four-Test series as the visitors’ batsmen took the hosts’ bowling attack to the cleaners and made them look like a total joke.

During their limited overs series against arch-rivals Pakistan, none of the Indian batsmen could even get a partnership going and once again both the pace and spin attack failed to produce any magic.

“Not only as a captain, but as an individual too you rarely get these situations,” Dhoni said. “Against South Africa [in 2008], we were in a similar situation, when we were down in the series, going into Kanpur. I won’t say this is a very good situation to be in, but you get to know the character of a team or a person only in tough times. In a way it’s a good situation to be in where we have nowhere to go.”

However, despite the disappointments over the past number of weeks, Dhoni insists his team’s morale remains “really good”.

“The spirit is really good,” he said. “We have maintained that really well. In tough times the only people who will support you are team members, and the support staff. We have kept it really close, and the good thing is we are enjoying our cricket, which at times you don’t tend to do when you go through a rough patch. When it comes to the dressing-room atmosphere, it’s looking great.”

The Indian captain also stated that his team were used to being under pressure since it is a normal part of representing the country.

“If you are part of Indian cricket, everything is under the microscope, and everybody has an opinion about cricket,” he said. “Everybody asks the questions we also ask, but nobody comes with a solution, which is the brilliant part. That’s how it goes in India. Cricket is a sport followed in a big way. Everybody has an opinion about everything that goes on.

“People who have covered cricket for a long time, once you wait for the result you have plenty more questions you can ask – ‘Why that guy was not picked’, ‘why this guy was not given the new ball.’ It’s not like soccer where players play from a specific area. The midfielder plays from there, you alter it very rarely. Cricket is a sport where you can ask a lot of questions. That’s a big part of our life. We are under the microscope throughout.”

When asked whether some players might be dropped due to their horrendous performance over the past number of series, Dhoni said: “That’s getting very critical, A series or two or a rough patch…everybody was talking of this phase in Indian cricket where the big cricketers will move on and the pressure will come on young players. Everybody was expecting a rough patch.

“Of course we have struggled. It may come in the future too when we lose two Test matches that youngsters should go out and somebody else should come in. You have to be consistent. You have to keep faith in the players. People who have done a lot for Indian cricket over the years, just on the basis of one series or two Test matches or half a season, it will be difficult if you are asking questions.”

One of the players that looks almost certain to be dropped is opening batsman Gautam Gambhir, who has failed to score a Test century in nearly three years now, but Dhoni defended his team-mate, stating that all batsmen go through rough patches throughout their careers.

“About Gautam, the best thing I like about him is he is an aggressive character,” Dhoni said. “I always talk about it. I have played with him a lot. If you see the last few games, he has batted really well, he has taken time. There is a lot of improvement in his batting. I feel whenever he is aggressive – by aggressive I don’t mean stepping out and hitting the ball, it’s more about positively defending a ball, because that can be an aggressive mindset. He has been batting well in the last few games. It’s an ideal setup, this is a big game, he is a big-game player. He can transform starts into a big innings.”

However, being dropped is one thing, but the increasing amount of pressure on veteran batsman Sachin Tendulkar has become quite a spectacle for the entire cricketing community.

Speaking about the situation revolving around Tendulkar’s future, Dhoni said: “He is the best man to have in the side in a game like this. The experience he has, the kind of performances he has given under pressure over the years is something we all look up to. When it comes to Sachin, the best thing to do is to not speculate. He has proved everybody wrong throughout his career. There is nothing really to speculate. Let him enjoy his cricket. That’s important.”

Dhoni also mentioned that he had a lot of confidence in his own abilities, despite mounting calls for him to be stripped of the captaincy.

“That’s one thing I have done really good,” he said. “Whether it was the 2007 World Cup or when it was the 2011 World Cup, when people appreciate me, I don’t go to seventh heaven and go outside my way. When people criticise me, it’s the same.

“In India we have extreme opinions. We praise someone very highly, and in a few games we start pulling the same individual down. I always say it’s important to be in the middle path. That’s how you will enjoy the sport. I have been quite good at maintaining that. Whether you win a game or lose it, the basics remain the same. It hasn’t been difficult not watching TV or reading newspapers. I have not been doing it for quite some time now.”