After the pathetic display at Manchester if the Indian cricket fans raise a question asking each other that, Is Dhoni becoming the worst captain ever overseas? ? Well, the straightforward answer might have been “Yes!” But as a matter of fact he is just three defeats away from ‘achieving’ this dubious record. After 5-0 drubbings in previous England and Australia tours, the questions were already raised over Dhoni’s capabilities to handle the team in alien conditions and after losing two tests out of four in the ongoing Investec Test Series in England the Dhoni critics have got enough food for thought.
At times not only Dhoni’s strategy looked strange but actually it helped him in winning many matches in the past but not any more.
The team combination this series looked awful and Dhoni’s over confidence in certain players are now becoming a headache for him and Indian cricket fans as well. Certain bad decisions by Dhoni has now put him on the verge of becoming the worst traveling captain ever, although there is still a cushion of three tests but we are sure he would certainly not like to use that cushion forever.
Dhoni’s coach at the CSK, Stephen Fleming, who belonged to the New Zealand cricket team, the Black Caps is along with Brian Lara is the current holders of being the worst captains overseas. Both of them have lost 16 tests overseas as captains whereas after the Manchester test loss, Dhoni has lost 13 tests. Dhoni probably would not like to lose the last test match at the Oval starting this Friday and certainly two more after that.
If not the worst captain overseas, Dhoni has already become the worst Indian captain overseas with the loss at Manchester. Previously Sourav Ganguly, Mohd. Azharuddin and Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi were sharing this record with 10 overseas defeats each. Sourav Ganguly may be on the second place, but he certainly has better records of wins overseas with 11 test wins overseas, including drawing series against England in 2002 and in Australia in 2003-04. Under ‘Dada’s’ captaincy, India had also won the series in West Indies, Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka and most famously in Pakistan. Dhoni has won only six tests outside India out of 27 tests he has lead the team.