PERTH, (Reuters) – Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s casual approach to the art of test captaincy caught up with him today when he was banned for India’s fourth test against Australia.
The one-match ban for his team’s failure to maintain an acceptable over rate completed a miserable day for Dhoni, who was dismissed for two runs as India crumbled to an innings and 37-run defeat at the WACA to go 3-0 down in the four-match series.
“The India team has been fined for maintaining a slow over-rate during the third test against Australia in Perth,” read an International Cricket Council (ICC) news release.
“As this is the second offence within 12 months India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has been suspended for the next test match in line with the ICC Code of Conduct.”
India were two overs shy of the minimum rate required, the governing ICC said. The first offence was committed in the second test against West Indies in Barbados in July.
“Dhoni also acknowledged that he had been kept informed of the position regarding over rates on a regular basis throughout the match and therefore accepted the decision,” the ICC added.
News of the ban, which came after Dhoni had already spoken to the media, is hardly likely to alleviate criticism of the 30-year-old after three humiliating defeats in Australia.
It is not only that it comes on the back of the 4-0 drubbing in England last year, which saw India relinquish the number one spot in the test world rankings, that has infuriated many in India but the sheer lack of fighting spirit displayed.
“Certainly, this is one of the worst phases where we have not done consistently well,” Dhoni conceded.
“The Australian team is playing very good cricket at the moment and we are not playing to the potential we have got and that’s the results why it looks so different.
“It was exactly the same in England. Most of the time the series gets interesting when both teams are in very good form, or both the sides are in very bad form. That is not the case.”
‘MAJOR CULPRIT’
There was fury from some of the Indian media at Dhoni’s continued inability to analyse the poor results beyond stating that India needed to “score more runs and take more wickets”.
The hero of India’s triumph in the 50-over World Cup on home soil last year continued in similar vein, however, and even his mea culpa had an air of routine about it.
“I need to blame myself,” he said. “I am the leader, the major culprit. So yes, of course, I blame myself.”
It was then alleged once again that he did not take test cricket seriously.
“I know how seriously I take it, for anyone else to judge how seriously or not I take something is very difficult,” he said.
He also faced criticism for not getting angrier with his players when they were not performing, deflecting the charge by saying it was a matter of culture.
“Most of our cricketers have really stepped up as the need has come and we don’t really need to use extreme measures,” he said.
“Of course we need to do better soon but most of us are feeling bad about it because we are professional cricketers and we are human beings and we all run on emotion.”
Saurav Ganguly, Dhoni’s predecessor as India captain, received a two-match ban for a similar slow-bowling offence in 2004.
Vice captain Virender Sehwag is likely to step up to replace Dhoni as skipper in Adelaide, where the fourth test takes place next week. Wriddhiman Saha is likely to stand in as wicketkeeper.