Mahendra Singh Dhoni announced his immediate retirement from Test Cricket quietly after the drawn test against Australia. It was indeed a Practical End to a Practical man's Test Career. A man who carried on with his business quietly, never saying anything, letting the World talk aimlessly. Dhoni grew as a player, as a man when he was given the captaincy of the test outfit. The level of Calmness, Composure & Maturity shown by him was untouchable. This brought an end to a glorious test career spanning almost a decade.
For some, He was a Legend, for others He was just an ordinary guy who got Lucky more often than not. For me, He was a mix of both. While his Captaincy performances in ODIs & T20s have been exemplary, his test record does not indicate the truth behind it.
Let us first go through some of his Highs & Lows as a Test Captain:
Highs
India achieved number 1 Test ranking for 18 months starting from December 2009.
Captained in 60 of the 90 tests he played for India.
Had a winning percentage of 45%.
Crossed Saurav Ganguly's record of 21 Test wins to become India's most successful captain.
Won home series against Australia in 2008, England in 2008-09, Sri Lanka in 2009-10, Australia and New Zealand in 2010-11, and the West Indies in 2011-12 and 2013-14 respectively.
Whitewashed Australia 4-0 in Border Gavaskar Trophy in 2013 played at Home.
Defeated New Zealand 1-0 in New Zealand.
Dominated in Home Tests.
Built the careers of many young players even if it meant compromising some Legends.
Lows
India won only 4 out of 25 tests outside sub-continent under MS Dhoni.
Whitewashed 4-0 by England in 2011 in England.
Whitewashed 4-0 by Australia in 2011-12 in Australia.
Lost 1-2 to England in 2012 after gaining a lead of 1-0 in Home series.
Lost 1-3 to England in 2014 after gaining a lead of 1-0.
Criticized for too much defensive captaincy in Tests.
Never scored a Hundred outside Asia. Failed to inspire team to victory overseas unlike Ganguly.
8 Consecutive Test Losses.
One more away Loss would have held him at par with Stephen Fleming for most number of away test losses as Captain.
All these points I made are only pertaining to Test Cricket. His biggest achievement remains Leading India to Number 1 Test Ranking built on a series of home dominance and performances by the Golden Generation & himself. Thus, making him a Mediocre Test Captain at best. MS Dhoni is a perfect example of "Zero to Hero", "Fortune favors the Brave" & "An ordinary man rising through the Ranks to Lead his Country to Glory."
Hilarious Talk of MS Dhoni behind Stumps MIC by sahilraja1
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/8869463
For some, He was a Legend, for others He was just an ordinary guy who got Lucky more often than not. For me, He was a mix of both. While his Captaincy performances in ODIs & T20s have been exemplary, his test record does not indicate the truth behind it.
Let us first go through some of his Highs & Lows as a Test Captain:
Highs
India achieved number 1 Test ranking for 18 months starting from December 2009.
Captained in 60 of the 90 tests he played for India.
Had a winning percentage of 45%.
Crossed Saurav Ganguly's record of 21 Test wins to become India's most successful captain.
Won home series against Australia in 2008, England in 2008-09, Sri Lanka in 2009-10, Australia and New Zealand in 2010-11, and the West Indies in 2011-12 and 2013-14 respectively.
Whitewashed Australia 4-0 in Border Gavaskar Trophy in 2013 played at Home.
Defeated New Zealand 1-0 in New Zealand.
Dominated in Home Tests.
Built the careers of many young players even if it meant compromising some Legends.
Lows
India won only 4 out of 25 tests outside sub-continent under MS Dhoni.
Whitewashed 4-0 by England in 2011 in England.
Whitewashed 4-0 by Australia in 2011-12 in Australia.
Lost 1-2 to England in 2012 after gaining a lead of 1-0 in Home series.
Lost 1-3 to England in 2014 after gaining a lead of 1-0.
Criticized for too much defensive captaincy in Tests.
Never scored a Hundred outside Asia. Failed to inspire team to victory overseas unlike Ganguly.
8 Consecutive Test Losses.
One more away Loss would have held him at par with Stephen Fleming for most number of away test losses as Captain.
All these points I made are only pertaining to Test Cricket. His biggest achievement remains Leading India to Number 1 Test Ranking built on a series of home dominance and performances by the Golden Generation & himself. Thus, making him a Mediocre Test Captain at best. MS Dhoni is a perfect example of "Zero to Hero", "Fortune favors the Brave" & "An ordinary man rising through the Ranks to Lead his Country to Glory."
Hilarious Talk of MS Dhoni behind Stumps MIC by sahilraja1
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/8869463
