Bhupesh Bhandari: The flaws in Dhoni's leadership

Mahendra Singh Dhoni's decision to retire from Test cricket was met with rich tributes on the social media. Till hours before that, people were braying for his blood. But the moment the announcement came all his sins were forgotten - in the true Indian way. In spite of being India's most successful Test captain (he more than made up his dismal record overseas on flat Indian pitches), Dhoni displayed disquieting leadership traits. People have rightly called him defensive and unimaginative in the longer format of the game, which resulted in several spectacular losses away from home. But the problems ran deeper. Let me explain.

So far in the ongoing series, Indian players have got into several sledging matches with the Australians. Virat Kohli has specially been targeted by the rival team. It's more than just the heat of the moment - it is a well-orchestrated plan to unsettle India's star batsman. Kohli, brash and confident, has hit back with equal venom. But not even once did he receive any support from Dhoni. Kohli was left to his own devices. Do you think Sourav Ganguly or even the gentlemanly Rahul Dravid would have reacted in a similar hands-off fashion? I don't think so. Pacer Varun Aaron and David Warner had exchanged words in the first Test at Adelaide; Kohli, who was captaining the side in Dhoni's absence, walked up to the umpire and complained right away. Aaron was at his best after that. That is strong leadership.

Next, Dhoni put the blame squarely on a fracas between players inside the pavilion for the last-day debacle during the second Test at Brisbane, which cost India the game. At the post-match press conference, he disclosed there was some unrest but did not elaborate. Later, Hindustan Times reported that Kohli was sent in to start the day at very short notice because Shikhar Dhawan claimed he was injured, and Kohli, after he got out cheaply, vented his frustration on Dhawan. This snowballed into a slanging match between the two. The controversy could have been avoided had Dhoni chosen not to speak about it at the conference - he set the journalists on the story's trail. And then, instead of rising to the occasion, Dhoni came out with a bizarre statement about Kohli stabbing Dhawan in the back, and suggested that Marvel or Warner Brothers should make a film on it! It was meant to convey that the blowout was a figment of the journalists' imagination. Instead, it showed that Dhoni treated the matter with utter frivolity.

Did Kohli's rapid ascent make him insecure? It is difficult to tell. Dhoni has lost the youth icon's tag to the batsman from Delhi. Kohli's glamour quotient, helped in no small measure by girlfriend Anushka Sharma, has raced ahead of Dhoni. He comes across as open and daring, and has no cronies surrounding him. Dhoni looks grumpy and secretive. Talk to any advertiser and he will tell you that Dhoni's brand equity has seen erosion. His rags-to-riches story, from a modest household in Ranchi to the highest echelons of style, has run its course. Kohli is the new star. An insecure boss is happy to see his deputy trip - it enhances his own shelf life. But that can be ruinous for the organisation.

What also surprised me was that all the recent criticism was against Dhoni's captaincy, not his ability to keep wickets. His reflexes behind the stumps are still sharp and he is a handy batsman - he played not even a hundred Tests. All he had to do was make way for the new captain, Kohli, and continue to keep wickets. But he decided to retire from Test cricket altogether. In the past, many Indians have given up their captaincy and happily played under others: Sachin Tendulkar, Ganguly and Dravid. Dhoni could have easily continued to keep wickets. But after leading India in 60 Tests, he perhaps found distasteful the thought of taking orders from others. Maybe it was too much for his ego to handle. Look at it differently: he has put himself ahead of the team's interest.

Ganguly's captaincy was a watershed in Indian cricket. He infused aggression into the team. Before him, Indians were happy to be also-rans (the aim is to participate, not to win) and heroic losers. Most cricketers played for personal glory. Under Ganguly, they learnt to play for the team. He nurtured talent and persisted with players even when they hit a lean patch. Players like Virender Sehwag, Harbhajan Singh and Yuvraj Singh owe their success to the confidence Ganguly placed in them. Has Dhoni built up players like them? We have, for the first time, pacers in the country, Aaron and Umesh Yadav, but they are low on confidence. They are not sure of their position in the team. The tension plays on them when they are called to ball. Some assurance from the captain that their jobs are safe will help them become matchwinners.

The principal responsibility of a leader is to build a team. There is no single formula to encourage your subordinates. Some respond positively to challenges, while others need to be handled with sensitivity. One thing that never works is below-the-belt personal attack. In 2011, Dhoni featured in a surrogate advertisement for a liquor brand that poked fun at Harbhajan Singh! It was in poor taste. After a huge outcry, the advertisement had to be withdrawn. But many were left wondering that what sort of a captain would make fun of his teammate for some money? Apparently, a Dhoni biopic is in the works. I hope it is fair and dwells on these traits as well.