The situation that M S Dhoni and Michael Clarke currently find themselves in, not many would envy them. Both the skippers have a tough task on hand as their teams face each other in the upcoming Test series. Dhoni has to be somehow inspire himself and the team in a format the wicket-keeper batsman evidently does not enjoy anymore. Clarke, on the other hand, will have to prove that he possess the leadership qualities that were witnessed in him during his early days, are very much in his armoury.
Of the two captains, Dhoni will be the one under greater pressure without doubt. Not only because he will be the home skipper, but also because the team has been struggling very badly under him over the past two seasons. During this phase, his personal form has gone from bad to worse. The worrying aspect is that he hasn’t shown any inclination towards accepting that there is a lot wrong with the team at the moment. Also, he hasn’t always enjoyed complete support of the team. Senior players like Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir have indirectly taken digs at him in public, and even VVS Laxman pointed out duringhis retirement speech that it was difficult to reach Dhoni.
It is said that when things are going your way everything seems perfect. This is what happened during Dhoni’s stint as skipper in the first couple of years. His performances with the bat were top notch, and even the team seemed to be gelling well under him, like a unified unit. The honeymoon period got over for Dhoni long back, and in fact he has been lucky to retain his place in the Test squad as player, leave alone captain. The embarrassing loss to England was yet another reminder’s India’s faltering ways. If Dhoni doesn’t get his act right against Australia too, India should start looking beyond him in the longer version, once and for all.
The scene isn’t as desperate for his Australian counterpart. In complete contrast to Dhoni, Clarke has excelled as batsman ever since taking over as leader. He amassed as many as four double centuries in the 2012 calendar year, one of them being a triple ton. These figures are a good enough indication of how supremely confident Clarke is at present of his abilities. At the same time, his individual brilliance hasn’t always translated into team success. They faltered against South Africa in spite of Clarke’s tremendous showing.
Clarke’s biggest challenge in India will be to inspire a young side in the absence of the big names. With Ricky Ponting and Mike Hussey retiring, a huge hole has been left in the Australian batting line up. At the same time, the vacancy also provides an opportunity to some fringe players to stand up and be counted. While he himself would be keen to do well, Clarke would also want the other experienced players in the team, namely Shane Watson and David Warner, to shoulder additional responsibility.
Whichever way one looks at it, Dhoni and Clarke will be the two men under most pressure when Indiaand Australia face off.
--By A Cricket Analyst
