Conditions apply: The veiled threat of Dhoni’s offer

What do you do when the captain of your team walks into a press conference and offers to quit ? The key word being ‘offers.’ He hasn’t come out and quit as Rahul Dravid did in 2007 nor has he been pushed out of the job as Ganguly was in 2005. He has just offered to quit – there is something strangely political about the whole thing. It’s like politicians who have been embroiled in a controversy – the first thing they do is ‘offer’ to quit. They don’t go ahead and quit, they just offer to. When the times get tough, a threat serves as intimidation and as a warning. Dhoni’s timing (just before a T20 match) and choice of words is just as strange: “It (captaincy) doesn’t belong to anyone. It’s a position I hold, and it’s an added responsibility. I always like to do well till I am in job but it’s not something I want to stick to. If there is a better replacement, he can come in.” [caption id=“attachment_199072” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“Dhoni needs to make up his mind. Getty Images”] [/caption] If Dhoni wants to take moral responsibility to the debacle during the Test series, he can simply come out and say that he has had enough. Or he can fight it; fight it with all his might. It’s either or. The way things stand – India finds itself stuck in no man’s land… a captain who doesn’t want the job, struggling veterans who don’t want to quit, a bowling attack that struggles to get the tail out. Seriously, decide now and be done with it. Just what does Dhoni mean if there is a better replacement? Does he consider himself to be better than the rest? Or here’s the truly frightening bit: is he? By offering to quit, Dhoni has put the ball in the court of the selectors. He’s washed his hands of the issue and comments such as ‘It’s not something I want to stick to’ aren’t going to help matters. In four years before the start of the England tour, India had been beaten three times in Test cricket, and racked up 15 wins to make Dhoni’s win-loss ratio as a Test captain up there with the best. He’s good; you have to give him that. But now he’s just being plain arrogant. It’s difficult to quit the most powerful job in the country – just ask Manmohan Singh. Dhoni’s job is pretty close to being at least the second toughest job in the country. It’s not easy but all we are asking is that Dhoni be clear in what he wants. As things stand, India have three options to take over as captain from Dhoni: Virender Sehwag, Gambhir Gambhir and the long shot, Virat Kohli. Sehwag is a bit of a maverick but his captaincy hasn’t been hugely impressive. In the fourth Test against Australia, he seemed a little lost. Gambhir, in the limited opportunities he has had, has looked the part. He has been vice-captain for a while but his batting form will be a worry. But then again, the responsibility of captaincy might bring out the best in him. As things stand, he is the best option. At 30, he is also best suited to give it a good go for at least 2-3 years. But if his form continues to fade, it could be trouble. But if the selectors want to be truly adventurous, they could just give the job to Kohli. He’s captained India’s under-19 team to the title. And while the senior level is a different kettle of fish, he is one of the few players who is currently playing all forms of the game. Vince Lombardi, the great American football coach once said: “Leaders aren’t born, they are made.” Well, it’s time for India to get the process up and running. The selectors should take up Dhoni’s offer because honestly we can’t do much worse than losing eight ‘away’ Tests on the trot.