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Calls for MSD’s sacking grow louder

Calls for sacking Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni grew louder on Monday with former chairman of selectors Kris Srikkanth and Abbas Ali Baig wanting a change in Test captaincy. Virat Kohli’s name is being suggested as a possible replacement.

Srikkanth was of the view that Dhoni will be better of without the captaincy burden from now on. ‘Dhoni’s become stale and doesn’t know what to do when things go out of the way. He shouldn’t be the Test captain anymore. Had I been the chairman of selectors, I would have picked Dhoni as a wicket-keeper batsman but it is time to look beyond him as a Test captain,’ Srikkanth said.

‘I will pick Dhoni as a keeper/batsman because his contribution has to be considered. I think he will be better off without captaincy and add more value to the Test team,’ Srikkanth said.

Former cricketer Abbas Ali Baig also called for a change of leadership and said Kohli should be given the mantle. ‘We have to look ahead to the future and plan accordingly’.

Dhoni’s captaincy record of the past two years does shows that the skipper needs to introspect. In the last two years, India’s winning percentage in Tests stands at a poor 33.33. Of the 22 Tests played in this period, including the just-concluded Nagpur Test, India have won just seven, lost 10 and drawn five, an abysmal stat given that this team was placed at the top of the ICC rankings not too long ago. Majority of these wins, five, have come on home turf and given the current stat of affairs, this record too would be affected. Away from home under Dhoni, India have lost eight of the 13 matches they have played, managing just two wins in the last couple of years.

Former India spinner Bishen Singh Bedi has also demanded Dhoni’s removal as captain. ‘Dhoni should feel lucky that he’s still there. If Tiger Pataudi or Sunil Gavaskar had lost as many Tests, they wouldn’t have lasted this long. He hasn’t done enough to continue being the skipper. He should have been eased out after the World Cup win. He’s is not a Test skipper. You need a skipper who’s worthy of his place in the eleven. Tell me is his 99 of any use to the team,’  Bedi told a news channel.
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