Letters: Dhoni's dilemma

This refers to Bhupesh Bhandari's column, "The flaws in Dhoni's leadership" (White Knight, January 2). It is true that a leader should stand by his team - but not when a team member like Virat Kohli, who has a temper as short as his bat is prolific, and is beyond wise counsel, is involved.

A leader should not retire leaving his team in the lurch. A good leader does not feel insecure due to the rise of new talent when his claim to leadership is built on his own abilities. But Mahendra Singh Dhoni's decision to retire from Test cricket has not created a void in wicket-keeping, as there are capable successors. Dhoni's record in Test wicket-keeping speaks for itself and he has led more illustrious players such as Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid in the past.

It is right that Dhoni was not a team-builder. But given the concern for money-making through sponsorships and players joining rival teams in the Indian Premier League (another money-spinner), there is intense competition inside the team - which includes Dhoni. Moreover, every leader has his style, from passive to aggressive, but they are judged by the results they achieve. Even while Sourav Ganguly motivated his players, he still won fewer matches than Dhoni.

The reality is that an objective analysis of Indian cricket skippers is not easy, since they are created, nurtured and dethroned by the politics internal to the Board of Control for Cricket in India. Dhoni's retirement from Test cricket coincides with the decline in the fortunes of N Srinivasan.

Y G Chouksey. Pune

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