Team India’s humiliation was complete when it was bowled out in under 30 overs in the second innings at the Oval. Batting progressively worse since the sensational win at Lord’s that had raised expectations sky-high, Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s men kept losing, on an average, a wicket every five overs. So predictable were the batting collapses that the players, who are paid in millions, may have been pricked by their conscience for getting so much money for so little work.
It is clear as crystal that Dhoni, India’s finest limited-overs captain, has gone bankrupt in the Test arena. It is time he stepped down from the Test job while someone younger tries to rebuild the side from scratch. In any case, visiting teams can be foxed in India by the outrageous designer surfaces that they prepare and on which virtually anyone can lead India to Test wins. Dhoni should be invested solely with the task of building India’s defence of the World Cup.
Shoddy slip catching, bowling that was not of sustained quality to keep the pressure on in Test cricket even in England’s bowler-friendly conditions, poor selection strategies that saw ersatz all-rounders picked instead of specialist batsmen and an orthodox spinner, and an overly defensive approach by the captain made a recipe for disaster. It is time Team India seeks a sea change from the road of its all-formats captain, who has no clue to how to plan for Test cricket.
