A googly from Tom Alter
By attacking the timing of M. S. Dhoni's retirement, actor Tom Alter misunderstands the man and his motives.
Dhoni’s decision deserves respect, argues DIPU SHAW.
On the principle that sensationalizing news sells, Firstpost has published an article that calls for banning Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni from representing the country ever again. The article, by Tom Alter, whom we have known mostly for his acting skills in Bollywood films and television soaps and hardly ever for his sports articles, argues that Dhoni has played a villainous role by announcing his abrupt retirement from Tests in the middle of an abroad series.
The article has earned Alter instant fame. A writer with Fox Sports quoted from it to headline his own piece as: “View from India: M.S. Dhoni’s legacy questioned, Virat Kohli’s character under fire.”
It needs no mention that cricket experts and commentators including Harsha Bhogle have been lavishing praise on Dhoni for his well-timed Test retirement and illustrative career. Cricket lovers made Dhoni trend on Twitter for more than two days as a tribute. That Dhoni chose to go without fanfare, without a celebratory series or match, is not his arrogance, as Alter argues, but in keeping with his style.
Recall India’s 2011 World Cup victory under Dhoni’s captaincy. It was Sachin Tendulkar who was taken around the stadium on players’ shoulders. It was Sachin that Wankhede stadium was rooting for. And Dhoni quietly let it be Tendulkar’s moment. This is Dhoni’s character and brand which people like Alter and others -- who see a ‘rift with Virat Kohli’ or ‘Kohli’s proximity with team India director Ravi Shastri’ as the reason behind his sudden retirement -- fail to understand.
Dhoni’s decision to retire from Test cricket has been a sudden one but it is not one that we did not expect or wish. Before he did so, there were debates on television channels and in newspapers speculating whether it was time for Dhoni to quit as captain. Popular cricket website espncicinfo.com even had a poll asking readers “Should M.S. Dhoni quit Test captaincy?” Other news websites and TV channels had similar polls.
No one went so far as to suggest that Dhoni should quit the longer format of the game altogether but those who watch cricket know Dhoni’s rustic style is not best suited to the five-day cricket format. The pressure of leading India in all three formats was also taking a toll on his fitness and ability and this was tirelessly debated on television news channels.
Stand-in skipper Virat Kohli’s extraordinary batting in the first Test that he led at Adelaide further justified the Kohli-over-Dhoni argument. So to attribute Dhoni’s retirement to his being what Alter terms ‘a corporate favourite’ is an insult to this most successful Indian captain.
The highlights of Dhoni’s captaincy need not be repeated here but one must be reminded that captaining India overseas is not easy, especially with meagre bowling resources and without the likes of Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan or Javagal Srinath.
The other two Test players whom Alter brands as villains and traitors for leaving an oversees series midway are Lala Amarnath and Navjot Singh Sidhu. It is another matter that none of the cricket fans may remember such negative instances about the two instinctive cricketers. Lala Amarnath, the first Indian to hit a Test century, is known for the legacy he left behind and for his mastery in reading the cricket pitch. Navjot Singh Sidhu may not have enjoyed the most illustrious cricket career but he is known for his tendency to attack spinners which earned him the nickname ‘Sixer Sidhu’.
Tom Alter ends his article by declaring that Team India will not win the last Test match. The assertion that India will lose -- since Dhoni has announced his retirement and won’t be playing the fourth Test -- contradicts his own argument questioning the inclusion of Dhoni in the team in the first place.
So this is for Tom Alter and other naysayers: Mahendra Singh Dhoni did not exit with arrogance but in style and it is not blind faith in his image and money that is making writers and cricket experts sing his praises but respect for the cricketer and his decision.
(Dipu Shaw is a new media journalist who created and runs News Hour India.)
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