(contd.)Added to team’s woes were his cranky captaincy decisions of effecting or not effecting those decisive bowling changes at crucial junctures .Setting a defensive field in place of an attacking field placements needed which would have made all the difference in getting wickets, preventing ones, twos etc. further accentuated the problems. The only positive of the Capt were couple of gritty Ist innings knocks which he managed and the only thing he looked to care and satisfied with to salvage his personal image in the otherwise team’s worst defeats ever in Indian cricketing history. So, far from recouping some pride from the previous 4-0 loss of 2011, the 2014 Test series 3-1 loss turned out to be even more humiliating. Enter Ravi Shastri, retreat/exit(?) Fletcher & co of coaches and asst coaches for One dayers ! Total turn around and the similar 3-1 margin series win for India ! Tables are completely turned with both sides exchanging highs and lows of Tests ! With ‘can’t care less ‘ attitude of the English Capt. Cook or of the man of the Test series James Anderson and the rest who looked least interested mirrored an attitude witnessed of the Indians and Capt Dhoni during Tests !Even the pitch conditions looked to be aligned to the respective interested sides! It looked a perfect set up as if to say – OK, you take the Tests, I take the One dayers and by identical margin ! This is not to suggest anything but to point to
Re: TEST REPORT CARD:DHONI:2/10,FLETCHER:0/10--II
by damodaran mohan on Sep 10, 2014 04:31 PM
(CONTD.)..This is not to suggest anything but to point to a perfect coincidence by providence ! Brilliant indeed ! Based on the experience and limitations of Indians in Tests it is time pondering over if 5 Tests series are worth the trouble given the increasing load of shorter versions of cricket played at home. Why not limit n the overseas tour to just 3 Tests series and not more. Next question? What fate awaits in Aus 4 Test series ? Very bleak if Dhoni is persisted as captain and he persists with the Captaincy way he did in Tests in England.
Before start of the series England was in in total disarray virtually at the bottom after having lost both the Ashes test series followed by Test series loss to a lowly SL Test side !Given this background Indian cricket fans were quite optimistic that India would make a match of it if not avenge the 2011 series humiliating 4-0 loss and make it a competitive series. And to add to the beliefs and hopes of Indian fans the Indian Test side did make a a dream start with that historic win at Lords to go up 1-0 before entering the the 3rd Test on a high! Even as everyone was expecting a further consolidation by India over a jaded English side under a somewhat demoralized looking Captain Cook on the verge of being booted out came the shocker of India lunging to a massive defeat and there after it was complete abject surrender in the last two Tests finishing under 3 days! The Indians looked totally clueless with hardly any batting worth its name to back its a relatively much weaker bowling attack. The English on the other hand virtually seemed to have risen like a phoenix from Ashes with down and out Cook roaring like a lion! Needless to add a defensive captain Dhoni mewing like a cat on the other hand lost the plot completely taking India to a disastrous series defeat ever! Selecting consistently a skewed playing XI with no team balance was the major cause for the Test debacle.
When Dhoni and some of his team do not perform. Wrong selection of the test squad, on the field performance etc., should also be looked into. Dhoni has outlived his utility. He should go also, if Fletcher has to go.
