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“Why, why, why”, I kept asking myself as I watched the final day of the MCG Test yesterday.
As George Costanza once said in the TV sitcom Seinfeld, “I am speechless, I have no speech.”
The bombshell came after the Test was finished. It was the announcement that India’s captain MS Dhoni had retired from Test cricket before the Test series ended.
He could have waited until the series was over in Sydney on January 10. This indicates a rift in the side.
To me he was the best captain India ever had. He may have had his limitations as a wicket-keeper but he kept the team together as a leader and scored runs when most needed. Under him India was ranked as the no. 1 Test nation a few years ago.
Also under him India had won the World Cup in 2011.
Was it the constant onfield verbals by the men under him that got to him? Is there a rift in the team we do not know about?
This mid-series retirement of Dhoni reminded me of Kim Hughes’ teary farewell after badly losing Tests against the West Indies in 1984-85.
This is not true for the current Indian side. In both the Adelaide and Brisbane Tests India was defeated but not disgraced. In fact, they could have won both the Tests.
And in Melbourne his unbeaten 24 was invaluable in India not losing.
So why did he retire mid-series?
Now to my second question. Why did Steven Smith settle for a draw when India was 6 for 174 and four overs were still remaining?
The fall of either Dhoni or Ravichandran Ashwin would have exposed India’s very fragile tail.
In the previous three innings, India had lost their last three wickets in less than four overs. In 16 balls in the first innings in Melbourne, in 20 balls in Adelaide in the first innings and in 18 balls in the second.
So Australia had a chance, albeit a slim one, to be leading 3-0 and going for a whitewash in the Sydney Test next week.
Smith was happy with Australia regaining the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Fair enough. But would this – going for a draw when a win was possible – have satisfied his predecessors Ricky Ponting, Steve Waugh and Ian Chappell?
Also Smith kept the declaration too late. In fact, he paid Indian batsmen Murali Vijay, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane a big compliment with his late declaration.
To me Smith showed less confidence in his bowlers Mitchell Johnson, Ryan Harris and Nathan Lyon. Eight more overs (plus four overs forfeited) and Australia could have been 3-0 up.
Now to my final question. Why send a 22 year-old Indian Test debutant, Lokesh Rahul, to bat at no. 3 on the decisive final day of the Test when he had played so poorly and irresponsibly in the first innings?
Three terrible Twenty20 shots when scoring four runs in two Test innings is utterly disappointing. I blame Dhoni for sending a rookie in crisis (India one wicket down for two runs) instead of the experienced Pujara.
Having said this, let me add that Australia deserved to win the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and Smith has shown potential as a captain and proved himself a top order batsman.