No player greater than the game : Saying bye to test cricket
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: January 03, 2015 -

Cricket makes news in India. So too do cricketers.

An observation underlined by the mass media coverage given to the decision of Mahendra Singh Dhoni to quit test cricket.

Not any other player quitting test cricket but the captain of the Indian cricket team and perhaps this is what makes it all that more newsworthy.

It is however significant to note that Dhoni will be retiring only from test cricket and not the other two formats of the game-one day international and T20.

To the purists, test cricket may be the final yardstick to judge the capabilities of a cricketer but this has obviously not cut ice with the observation of Dhoni and in all probability, he will continue to skipper the one day team as well as the T20 team.

Not exactly quitting international cricket but one form of the game and it is not exactly a final bye to the player.

There must definitely be some pressing reasons for Dhoni to announce that he has decided to quit test cricket and it is within his right to take such a decision.

This is not to say that the decision to quit test cricket will go down well with the cricket crazy Nation.

After India won the World Cup in 1983, the popularity of cricket has multiplied with numerous youngsters taking up the game.

Dhoni may or may not have been a child of the 1983 World Cup win, but it is important to note that India won her second World Cup under his captaincy in 2011.

Only two captains from India have laid their hands on the cricket World Cup as champions and it is this common thread that runs between Kapil Dev, the captain in 1983 and Mahendra Singh Dhoni in 2011.

Questions may well be asked on why Dhoni has decided to continue with one day international and T20 while calling it quits in test.

There may be many reasons, such as financial considerations and it is undeniable that one day cricket and T20 are the formats that bring in the mullah.

However to solely interpret his latest decision along financial considerations would be doing disservice to his contributions and commitment to the game.

Not surprisingly Virat Kohli has been named as Dhoni’s successor as the captain in test cricket and it remains to be seen whether India will witness a change of guard in the other two formats or not.

Whatever it is, it remains that in Dhoni the world saw one of the rare wicket-keeper cum skipper in test cricket and this is a point which will live on for years to come.

There may be different takes on his style of captaincy but this is what makes the game of cricket all that more interesting.

Whether the decision to quit test cricket will have a positive impact on Dhoni in the other two formats of the game remains to be seen but he can certainly adopt a more relaxed approach to the game.

Players will come and go but the game of cricket will continue thereby underlining the point that no player is greater than the game. And this is true for all games.