Why Dhoni, the Captain Cool, shouldn't lose his cool, even with the media
Not everything may be well in the world of Mahendra Singh Dhoni. The Indian limted overs captain has been fondly called "Captain Cool" for his calm and stoic demeanour on the cricket field, and even off it.
It is this ability to stay composed in the face of pressure that has made Dhoni what he is: one of the most respected cricketers in the world. It is this ability that has helped him steer his team out of difficult situations on umpteen occasions. A case in point: the World T20 final in 2007. Also the ODI World Cup final in 2011. Wednesday's (March 23) match was no different, in which he kept his head in a crunch situation when the Bangladeshis were losing theirs, and sealed India's victory with a brilliant run out on the last ball.
Dhoni, you would feel, is unflappable. But which Dhoni was it that walked into a press conference after the match? He was clearly not the one from the match. How else would you explain his shocking outburst at a journalist at the conference?
Captain Cool lost his cool and it was ugly. Dhoni was asked how satisfied he was with the team's performance against Bangladesh, given that India could barely win the match when the talk was about winning by a big margin and increasing the net run rate. A very innocuous, yet important question. But the answer that it elicited from Dhoni was far from dignified and one must say, unbecoming of an Indian captain.
Dhoni stopped his interviewer midway and snapped: “I know you aren’t happy that India won today.” When the journalist started to clarify his position, Dhoni again intervened: "No, no listen to me."
He continued: "Hearing you, your tone and your question, it’s clear that you aren’t happy that India has won, right? And talking about a cricket match, there’s no script. It’s not about the script.
“You have to analyse that after losing the toss, what was the reason we couldn’t make a lot of runs on the wicket that we were batting on. If you aren’t analysing these things sitting outside, then you shouldn’t ask these questions,” Dhoni added.
Dhoni's outburst left everyone present at the conference shocked, but it perhaps pointed towards something more significant. Why did the Indian captain react the way he did? Has he started fearing tough questions? He was never like this before. Doesn't he know that only by asking probing questions can improvement be made? Does he think the press has no right, or worse, no knowledge to ask questions on cricket? Has he a monopoly over an understanding of the game? Or does he want to run the team in whichever way he wants to, with no accountability whatsoever?
These questions are uncomfortable and may be souring the moment when India has won a match at a world event. But remember, India was nowhere in the reckoning till the last three balls of the match. Does Dhoni think himself to above scrutiny, on the back of a fortuitous win, against a side which it should have beaten quite easily? After all, India is supposed to be the number one team in the world in T20s and the pre-tournament favourites in the World T20. Isn't it so, Dhoni?
The question on run rate was a relevant one, for even after the win, India's net run rate is still in the negative. That could hurt India as the battle for a semi final place heats up.
Dhoni's reaction may mean that he is under tremendous pressure with India's stuttering progress in the World T20 so far. Dhoni had been facing the heat after India's poor showing in ODIs in recent times in which it suffered series defeats to South Africa, Australia and Bangladesh. Calls were mounting for replacing Dhoni with Virat Kohli as the captain.
Dhoni had lost his cool sometime back also when asked about his retirement. Dhoni's recent irritability begs the question: Is he in complete control of the team? Has the spectre of losing the captaincy that has been haunting him for sometime now made him so insecure that he gets irritated as easily these days as he did at the post-match press conference?
Anyhow, let me assure you Captain Cool that whether you like it or not, the media will keep asking you uncomfortable questions. We are not here to mollycoddle you, we are here to make you accountable to the fans of the country. And please don't assume that the media is ignorant about the game.