After the first ever series victory in One-Day series in Sri Lanka under the captainship of Dhoni the Indian coach Gary Kirstein commented that Dhoni is now ready to take on the mantle of test captain as well. Should the coach have expressed the view in the public, as the Cricket Board against Kirstein has now passed a gag order?

Before the feeling could sink in, that India has clinched first ever One-day Series victory against Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka, an off the cuff remark made by the Indian coach Gary Kirstein that Dhoni is now ready to take the mantle of captainship for test cricket as well, has stirred a hornet's nest. BCCI has gone to the extent of passing a gagging order against Kirstein for abstaining against making comments on policy related issues.

As long as Anil Kumble does not hang his boots, a radical decision of this kind is difficult to come from the board, as the record of Kumble as a test captain has been more than satisfactory. There has always been a debate among the thinkers of the cricket that segregation between a test captainship and one-day captainship should not be made, and most of the team world over maintains this policy. It also facilitates in having a grip over the game, as the construct of a team for the test matches and one-dayers is nearly the same, but with few young bloods in One-day Internationals. In such a scenario, within a series playing fewer than two different leaders can pose the problem of adjusting to two different temperaments and approaches.

When Kirstein made this remark this could have been the idea in his mind, as he was having played under one captain for both the teams and now coaching the Indian team under two different set of leaders, and would have assuaged that it would be a better option for the team.

Can this statement be the survival strategy of Kirstein by speaking his preference for Dhoni as Dhoni has a longer tenure as a cricketer, and he could have the say in choice of coach for the Indian team? If history is to go by, Ganguly had picked up Greg Chappell, but Chappell single-handed destroyed the career of Sourav Ganguly.

Also the record of Dhoni either in the test match or One-Day Internationals off late as a batsman does not inspire much confidence. However, successful captains may not be a success as a batsman and Mike Brairely is the celebrated example. What is needed is a thinking mind, and Dhoni has demonstrated repeatedly that he has got cool pair of heads on his shoulders, and he does not get flustered. This is the attribute of a captain, and therefore there is no harm in trying it out.

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3.25 Copyright (C) 2007 Alain Georgette / Copyright (C) 2006 Frantisek Hliva. All rights reserved."

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