India’s Mahendra Singh Dhoni has said he will remain captain as long as the country’s cricket board sees fit, ahead of a tour of Zimbabwe this month.
Dhoni’s future as captain was called into question after India’s lacklustre showing in the World Twenty20 but the limited-overs skipper has showed no sign of surrendering to his critics.
Former Team Director Ravi Shastri recently backed Test skipper Virat Kohli to lead the country in all formats, saying Dhoni should be allowed to enjoy the game as a player, free from the responsibility of captaincy.
“It’s not that I don’t enjoy the game, this decision (on captaincy) will be taken by the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India), it’s not up to me to decide on that,” Dhoni said in response to Shastri’s comments.
With big guns including Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and Suresh Raina rested, Dhoni will have the tough task of inspiring a bunch of youngsters in the African nation. India will play three one-day internationals and T20s in Harare in the tour starting June 11, with as many as five uncapped players in the 16-man squad.
“I think it will be a very different experience (for me),” Dhoni told reporters in his pre-departure press conference in Mumbai yesterday.
“The reason being you keep playing with almost the same group of players, so you know the roles and responsibility. There will be quite a few players in this bilateral series whom I will be playing with for the first time.”
With quite a few Indian Premier League performers like leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal and medium-pacers Barinder Sran and Jasprit Bumrah in the line-up, Dhoni is banking on his bowling department. “Overall they have been good on paper, both the batting and the bowling. You may say that bowling has had a bit more exposure to international cricket than our batting,” said the wicketkeeper-batsman.
The captain, who had a forgettable IPL season with newcomers Rising Pune Supergiants, believes that performances in the cash-rich league are not always the best judge of a player’s international worth.
“I have always said IPL is a platform where you identify talent. It is very different because it is still a form of domestic cricket,” he said. “The moment you are told that you are representing India, there is a different pressure.”
Dhoni also said that India’s next coach should have an understanding of the “culture and upbringing” of the nation. The BCCI is in the process of recruiting a new coach, applications for which close on June 10.
India have been without a full-time coach since Ravi Shastri’s two-year tenure as team director ended with the hosts’ defeat in the semi-finals of this year’s World Twenty20. In the advertisement for the coach’s job, the Indian cricket board (BCCI) said the ability to communicate in an Indian language was desirable but not mandatory.
“We do not face much problem with communication,” Dhoni said. “With the kind of players coming in these days, English I don’t think is a big barrier. There are also other players who take the initiative to help anybody in the team who does not understand.”
Players in the Indian team often come from different parts of the country, speaking different languages and having diverse cultures.
Former teammates Shastri and Sandeep Patil have applied for the position with New Zealand ex-captain Daniel Vettori’s name also in the frame for one of the most demanding jobs in international cricket. The BCCI has put assistant coach Sanjay Bangar in charge for the tour of Zimbabwe.
“What’s important is what the team requires. We need to select the best that is available,” said Dhoni, who has led India to both the 50-over and Twenty20 World Cup titles.
“A number of international coaches have a problem with the amount of cricket that we play in a year keeping in mind the family commitments and other factors,” he added.
“One of the most important things I believe is he should understand our culture. More than the language, one who understands our upbringing and culture will be better with us,” he added. “The coaches who have understood us in the past... we have seen the difference on the field.”
Dhoni had formed a formidable partnership with South African coach Gary Kirsten and the duo led India to the top of the World Test rankings while also winning the 2011 50-over World Cup at home.
New Zealander John Wright was also a successful coach for India.
Like Shastri, Patil is also eyeing a second spell in charge of the team, having coached them in 1996. Patil has also coached Kenya, guiding them to the 2003 World Cup semi-finals, and Oman. Test captain Kohli last month said he had a chat with his Royal Challengers Bangalore coach Vettori regarding the job.
The BCCI has formed a cricket
advisory committee comprising former players Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman who are expected to pick a new coach before the team’s tour of West Indies beginning on July 6.