A session with Imran Khan can benefit Dhoni in a big way

The current Indian team is in troubled waters. The team is being plagued by injuries to their premium fast bowler Zaheer Khan, opening batsmen Gambhir and Virender Sehwag and the lack of form of their some of the frontline batsmen. Their No1 spinner, Harbhajan Singh, is going through a bad patch while the team’s captain is horribly out of form with lack of imagination and bite in his captaincy.

A captain must lead from the front. And it is very important for his men as it is his brilliance which inspires the others in his team. A beleaguered captain does no good for the team’s morale.

Dhoni’s form with the bat is also going through the horrors. In sharp contrast, Dhoni’s counterpart - Matt Prior - has been brilliant in that No 7 position and has shown how a team’s morale can be raised with some defining knocks. Dhoni's sequence in the last eight innings reads: 5, 16, 28, 74, 5, 2, 16 & 0.

One might say that Andrew Strauss’ form is no better than Dhoni, but still Strauss is making his team perform through imaginative leadership. In contrast, Dhoni’s captaincy is flawed. He seems lost and disconnected with. His body language looks that of a beaten man.

Dhoni could claim that the third day pitch was more benign and tailor-made for the batsmen, but some of his decision-making behind played a contributory role. Throughout a listless afternoon session, he persisted far too long with the off-colour Harbahjan.

Every sports person goes through lean patches. It’s a time like these that one must seek counsel from the right kind of people. I would like to see Dhoni have a talk with Imran Khan, a leader par excellence who always brought the best out of him in adverse circumstances.

Dhoni is still the finest captain to lead India and a session with the cerebral Imran may just be the tonic he needs to effect a turnaround.

Note: This article has been published in Cricket Country on 03/08/2011 A session with Imran Khan can benefit Dhoni in a big way

Thank You
Faisal Caesar