As the IPL season descends upon us, the hills are alive with news of Team India’s historic victory in New Zealand in the just-concluded test series. For those unacquainted with what exactly this means in the cricket world, allow me to break it down like this: Oscar is to Slumdog as overseas win is to India. Now you might recall that India has a relatively impressive record in countries like Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, but – nice as that record is – the phrase ‘overseas win’ typically refers to defeating the likes of Australia, England, South Africa and yes, those Kiwis, on their respective home turfs.
But alas, the rain-induced draw of the 3rd and final test seems to have turned many a fan from intoxicated to insatiable. The Indians had their eyes set on a comfortable victory, with NZ 8 wickets down and several hours away from the close of play on Day 5, only for the dreaded looming clouds above to culminate into a storm treacherous enough to call it an anti-climactic draw.
Interestingly, the absence of the anticipated stump-grabbing, huddle-jumping jubilations has instead translated into the aforementioned insatiable crew pointing a finger or two at none other than Skipper Royale Mahendra Singh Dhoni. It seems a fare number of people wonder: why did the otherwise tactical captain fail to plan around the perspective storm; why did he feel the need to hold the declaration until the lead exceeded 600+ runs; was there not a more aggressive strategy that would have ensured a win, or had Captain Dhoni fixed in his mind a draw from the very start of the match?
Before I play Devil’s Advocate here, let me preface said defensive tone by saying that I, too, pondered over when exactly India was going to declare as they continued to pile on the runs on Days 3 and 4. I, too, wondered whether India’s 448-run lead at tea on Day 3 was not enough, especially since the stellar Gautam Gambhir already racked up yet another test century, sitting pretty on 151* at the time. Was Dhoni perhaps giving the lad a chance to score a double hundred? Certainly not the type of captain to place individual milestones before the overall performance of the team, Dhoni, but maybe he felt there is still one more session and then two full days of cricket ahead.
Whatever the reason, Dhoni seemed happy to let his batsmen plough on, until of course India proceeded to lose both Gambhir and partner-in-crime VVS Laxman in the span of that final session. If you were to follow my stream of consciousness, I would say maybe at this point Dhoni’s frame of mind was that gigantic lead notwithstanding, two quick wickets could very well give the Kiwis some form of psychological edge. Who really knows what can unfold in the next two days of play?
On Day 4 Dhoni stopped his team just short of batting 20 overs before finally signaling the innings to a close. Essentially, he left his bowlers with nearly two full days to take a total of 10 wickets. At that particular time, I’m pretty sure those clouds were not yet looming. It does, however, beg the question as to why a lead of 500 – 550 did not suffice. 600+ to play it safe, maybe, but surely 500+ is a safe enough bet for a final innings chase by a team that is barely at the top of its game despite being at home.
If this were Australia, they would probably decide within seconds to declare just before tea on Day 3 so that they could put a little pressure on their opponent’s opening batsmen in a quick end-of-the-day session with the new ball. This is largely why the Aussies often finish matches by Day 4 and presumably make merry on Day 5.
But strong as India is as a team – especially under Dhoni’s captaincy, mind you – it cannot yet boast of being Australia. Hence my take is that Dhoni did perhaps play it safe, but then playing it ‘safe’ does not necessarily mean working toward a draw. What I think is that Dhoni’s idea of playing it ‘safe’ in this case was allowing his bowlers a surefire, daunting total to defend and simultaneously leaving more than enough time to knock off ten wickets.
In the end, the result still reads India wins the 3-match test series 1-0 with both batsmen and bowlers to credit. It is a series win that comes after more than 40 years of trying and failing, and it remains under the charismatic leadership of Dhoni. Let’s not forget how India got into all sorts of trouble in his absence in the second test at Napier (most likely not on account of his batting or wicket keeping but the general attitude he brings to the game). Because, like they say, “all’s well that ends well”; albeit if not quite the way you sometimes hope for things to end. But mark my words, ending the last test with a draw is hardly a reason to complain as far as a certain 1.2 billion fans are concerned, and there is no bigger testament than that.
What do you think? Should Dhoni have declared sooner? Are you satisfied with the overall series victory, or did the results of the 3rd test leave you disconcerted? What would have been your ideal strategy?
