Anil Kumble may have been named captain for just the three Tests against Pakistan, but the indications are the senior pro will be retained skipper for the series down under as well.
Veteran likely to lead in Australia too
MUMBAI: Anil Kumble may have been named captain for just the three Tests against Pakistan, but the indications are the senior pro will be retained skipper for the series down under as well.
According to sources in the selection committee, the veteran spinner has been assured he will go to Australia as captain. The only reason the announcement has been withheld is because the selectors wanted to avoid the embarrassment of searching for a captain if the 37-year-old gets injured during the Pakistan series. The five wise men do not want to be blamed for not being wise enough.
The surprise elevation of Kumble was the culmination of day-long deliberations among the selectors, who, a source said, had a very productive brain-storming session. “We weighed all possible prospects and consequences before zeroing in on Anil,” said a selector who was — by his own admission — initially in favour of giving the captaincy to Dhoni. He later saw merit in handing over the job to India’s highest wicket-taker. “He has the respect of both youngsters and seniors and provides positive energy to the dressing room,” added the selector.
The Dilip Vengsarkar-led committee initially wanted to make the announcement after the first session of Thursday’s match in Mohali. But they decided they needed more time to deliberate and put off their decision till after the match.
One of the reasons for not picking Dhoni was that the selectors felt the wicketkeeper was too young to bear the burden of leading the Test team too for the highly competitive series in Australia. The selectors believe the Indian team will be in for a hostile reception — from both the public and the players alike — after what happened to Ricky Ponting and his men during the recent series in India. Dhoni could, however, be entrusted with the Test captaincy for the home series against South Africa after the Australia tour.
Dhoni is likely to be made vice-captain first. The announcement could come when the team for the Tests against Pakistan is picked. The selectors’ reasoning has apparently been explained to Dhoni. “He is a Test captain-in-waiting,” said the selector.
The selectors have also taken the advice of Ravi Shastri seriously. The former captain and coach had suggested that Dhoni was not ready for the job.
As for the Indian Board’s reported ‘unhappiness’ over the choice, one selector said they were not given any instructions by the BCCI and found no reason to believe the Board was unhappy. As is the norm, the committee’s choice was conveyed to BCCI president Sharad Pawar who gave the go-ahead before the announcement was made late on Thursday night.
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