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Dhoni has got the looks

By R. Mohan

Was this really a watershed series it was touted to be? Are the Australians in terminal decline or were they merely hit by Indiaitis, the disease that debilitates most comers? The answers, as with an elusive universal truth, lies somewhere in between. Considering that Ricky Ponting was to skipper this side to India and given his miseries on three previous tours, the end result was nearly predictable. He simply lost the plot in the final Test from when on it became a typical Indian mela with all the trappings.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni emerged with all the credit after masterminding the two Test wins as well as thinking up nice little emotional tugs on Indian hearts, first by asking Ganguly to lead for a few overs and then inviting Kumble to the podium at the presentation ceremony.

There is no doubt Dhoni comes up as the ultimate hero who combines deftly the ruthless touch on the field with his elaborate negative tactics - with which not all with their heart in the welfare of the game will agree - and the twanging of sentimental Indians. Given the fact that he will make several more millions than his predecessors in the game and so will be financially secure past all the recessions in the economy, Dhoni may end up bigger than the biggest of Indian stars, perhaps with a political party to his name one day. He has got the looks and the qualities of mass leadership. Dhoni did, however, take several liberties with the spirit of the game by employing blatant negative tactics. He probably did not need those to shut out this Ponting-led side that showed fighting spirit up to a point but collapsed each time any match was in the balance.

Let us not forget that the Aussies came as if with the same intent as in 2004, with Ponting dismissing his long-term India demons with a century in the company of Mr Cricket Hussey who made his first in Tests on Indian soil. It seemed the Aussies meant business, including their bowlers who had the doubtful Indian middle order on the ropes before the feisty Harbhajan and the resourceful Zaheer Khan held them up. The final results were in keeping with the new millennium trend in which the Indians have inflicted seven of a total of 13 defeats that the Aussies have suffered, and also won two series in those eight years (England is the only other team to have beaten them in a series, in 2005).

This time, India's number 2 ranking is a thoroughly deserved one. Before considering seriously the ambition of Team India to be ranked No. 1, we must take into account the couple of pressure points in the Border-Gavaskar series when the world champions posed a threat - the first when India batted a second time in Delhi and were in some fear of defeat after having declared on 617 in the first essay and when Ponting took his unusual view of his over rate crisis in Delhi.

If we leave out the Pakistanis and the Sri Lankans for their inconsistencies and their somewhat poor away record in most recent times, other serious contenders for the No. 2 ranking with the ambition to top the table are the South Africans and the Englishmen. Of them, the Proteas are more of a threat. The scenario is sanguine for Indian cricket whose future may lie in Dhoni's hands to shape. The feeling that he has greater responsibilities than merely leading Team India might serve to remind the skipper that he can't be seen lending scant regard to the image of the game.

If he does not go down the negative road again, he would surely be even more successful at the helm than Ganguly. All are convinced the future is India's. And since the country is the engine of the world cricket economy, such an exalted status can only help.

It is apparent that a strong Indian cricket alone can ensure the sport lives and grows internationally. So a lot more is riding on Dhoni's leadership than his impressive 100 per cent record as a Test captain besides his T-20 world championship and his CB tri-series cup won Down Under from the World Cup champions and the runners-up.