It was boorish on the part of Mahendra Singh Dhoni to go dashing into rookie Bangladesh pace bowler Mustafizur. The 75 per cent match fee fine means nothing to a sporting millionaire in Dhoni’s league since he is the only Indian among the top 100 sporting millionaires of 2014 in the Forbes list. Had the match referee, Andy Pycroft of Zimbabwe, docked him for the rest of the ODI series in Bangladesh, justice may have been seen to be done. Having concluded from the video relay evidence that Dhoni had deliberately pushed Mustafizur, Pycroft had to hand out punishment.
Named “Captain Cool” for his unflappable temperament in dealing with the vicissitudes in a long-running career as captain, Dhoni may be under pressure against a sell-by date that is beginning to get prominent in his CV. Had he been merely questioning an umpire’s decision or getting into a wordy duel with opponents, it could have been put down to the stress of the World Cup aftermath in which Team India’s defence of the title was blown apart by Australia. Having handed over the Test captaincy after a baffling, poor run abroad, he was losing his sheen as one of the captains most respected in the game for his quiet proficiency on the field.
It would be a stretch to say Dhoni’s credibility is on the line. May be he lost it on that evening. However, he has not done his image as the most senior captain in world cricket any good. More than anyone else, he should have known that such displays of angst on the cricket field can only bounce back on him.
