For Dhoni, the way forward is to step back

May 2011 was a great time to be Mahendra Singh Dhoni. The trophy cabinet had just welcomed its latest additions – the ICC World Cup and his second IPL trophy, in addition to the 2007 World Twenty20, the 2010 Champions League and the ICC Test championship mace. With a CV like that bursting at the seams, he had earned comparisons with the game’s greatest captains. The only way for Dhoni was downwards. August 2011 was a bad time to be Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Probably the worst. In a matter of three months, his career had suddenly come full circle. It was a slip of freakish proportions. Even the staunchest of English supporters would have been baffled at the result of the Test series that just concluded. Dhoni, who until then had never lost a Test series as captain, could barely maintain his balance on the shaky foundation of Indian cricket. The monumental 4-0 whitewash asked more questions of India’s competency at the top than of Dhoni’s leadership. Was Dhoni’s luck finally running out? Was the Indian Test team actually a set of underperformers in disguise? [caption id=“attachment_78020” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“Dhoni has been India’s most overworked cricketer for a few years now. AFP Photo”]  [/caption] His bowling changes weren’t clicking; no amount of encouragement could push his fielders harder; the ball wasn’t settling into his gloves like it should; his batting technique against the moving ball resembled that of a novice on his first tour of England. He looked a tired man captaining a deflated side (bar Rahul Dravid and Praveen Kumar). He needed a break, more than anyone else. The World Cup win left the Indians spent, both physically and emotionally. Dhoni had enough in the tank to see his team through. Just when their minds and bodies were crying for a recharge, the IPL followed six days later – lengthier and unappetising. Dhoni stretched himself for a further seven weeks and bagged another trophy. He sensibly rested himself from the five ODIs in the West Indies. But was it sufficient? It was evident that his mind, more than his body, needed more time off. The demands of captaining the country in all three formats and the paucity of a suitable replacement wicketkeeper-batsman have stretched Dhoni. He has been India’s most overworked cricketer for a few years now. In 2008, at the end of a 15-month period, he played 47 ODIs, 11 Tests and eight Twenty20s in a period spanning 105 days of international cricket. He wisely opted out of the Tests in Sri Lanka to rest. He was unfairly slammed for not taking Test cricket seriously, a ludicrous claim, considering that he was only prioritising for the sake of his longevity. In a similar 15-month period before skipping the West Indies ODIs this year, he played 13 Tests, 6 T20 internationals, 27 ODIs and 35 matches for the Chennai Super Kings. That’s a maximum of 133 days of competitive cricket, and enough frequent flyer miles to sponsor an army. He was away from his India team-mates for just two weeks. In 2008 he was a single man. Not anymore. And yet, he manages to smile and humbly utter platitudes, admitting the obvious mistakes and highlighting the positives in defeat, however minute. He remains as phlegmatic as ever, rarely showing emotions even in victory. His restrained jubilation is a world apart from Sourav Ganguly’s shirt-waving theatrics. Save for the two attacking fifties at Edgbaston, he rarely looked himself in the other Tests. His soft dismissals showed that he was trying to hit himself into form. Not a bad ploy, but there is a method to the madness. When you’re mentally exhausted, the attention span drops. It was evident that Dhoni wasn’t able to concentrate for long enough periods. The way forward for Dhoni, is to take a step back and skip a series or two before embarking to Australia. The timing of the Champions League couldn’t be worse, but realistically, he won’t skip that. He has a team to lead, a title to defend and another big pay-day. The home ODIs against England follow, but will he sacrifice revenge for rest? Perhaps he may not have much to lose by missing a portion of the home series against West Indies. Dropping Dhoni will only dent his confidence. He’s human after all. Back in April, we saw the machine behind the man. Now, we’re seeing the man behind the machine.