Tendulkar says “nah”; the captaincy drama continues
Sachin Tendulkar has refused to captain India’s Test side for reasons that are unknown to mortals as of yet. Most self-claimed cricket experts (my dad included) are of view that Tendulkar simply lacks executive intelligence-the kind that is needed to lead an international team. He’s no match to Ponting, Waugh, and the like, of course.
Let’s dig up some stats.
How has Tendulkar fared as India Test captain in comparison to Dravid and Ganguly, the other two recent skippers?
| Tests | Played | Won | Lost | Drawn | Won% |
| Dravid | 25 | 8 | 6 | 11 | 32.00 |
| Ganguly | 49 | 21 | 13 | 15 | 42.86 |
| Tendulkar | 25 | 4 | 9 | 12 | 16.00 |
So there. Point taken.
However, unlike Ganguly and Dravid, his batting never suffered during captaincy.
| As a captain Mts |
Runs | Avg | As a player Mts |
Runs | Avg | Change in Avg | |
| Dravid | 25 | 1736 | 44.51 | 86 | 7733 | 60.88 | -16.37 |
| Ganguly | 49 | 2561 | 37.66 | 47 | 3251 | 44.53 | -6.87 |
| Tendulkar | 25 | 2054 | 51.35 | 115 | 9096 | 55.80 | -4.45 |
As you can see, his batting average suffered a decline of about 4 points. Not negligible, but not bothersome either.
Stats aside, you may like to note that Tendulkar has quit captaincy in the past. It was silly on BCCI’s part to expect him to lead again. I was unsure if he would agree to the offer. And it comes as no surprise to me that he has turned it down.
Captaining India is no child’s play. It definitely sucks up a lot of one’s time and energy fielding media inquiries, attending conferences, etc. Add to that, one has to put up with the politics that is always doing the rounds of BCCI’s headquarters.
So that leaves BCCI with the following options:
Dhoni, Ganguly, Kumble, Laxman
Kumble and Laxman don’t fit the bill. Not only are they too low-profile, timid, but they haven’t really been with the team much lately. And to be honest, they are not going to be around for a long time either.
Now that leaves us with Ganguly and Dhoni. Ganguly, of course, is India’s most successful captain. But after the Chappell scandal, BCCI would be reluctant to appoint him. And with the current state of affairs in the team, that might not be a very wise thing to do indeed.
Dhoni, as some are opining, is way too young for that spot. Ugh. He’s older than Nawab Pataudi (who took over as captain at age 21), at least, gentlemen. Dhoni’s already handled seniors in the Future Cup, and he did fine. Besides, it’s clear that sooner or later he would have to take up Test captaincy too. So why not give him a chance now? And given that Pakistan’s current team comprises mainly of rookies and not much of a threat, this is the best time to test waters. IMHO, of course.
Kumble has been reported as saying that he’s ready for any “duty” that the board assigns him. Wow, that’s going to make the BCCI jump with joy. They can do anything in this state of desperation!
What’s your take?
Tags: BCCI, cricket, dhoni, dravid, ganguly, india-vs.-pakistsan-test-series, Indian-Oil-cup, tendulkar-says-no-to-captaincyRelated Stories
POSTED IN: Cricket, Players, Test Cricket, Weekly Debate/Rant, Whispers and Gossip
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