M S Dhoni still the best bet as Test, ODI captain says Harsha Bhogle

As an aside, that demand to take away the effect of not-outs comes largely from top order players and I have heard it stridently argued by such an Australian cricketer who thought players like Bevan liked the not out rather too much and that therefore they were more valuable second innings players than in the first where the desire to stay unbeaten could result in fewer runs for the team. And when you have been around for a while you realise that the genesis of most points of view lies in where a particular player's numbers are strongest.

So then, onto number six itself where Dhoni at 43.47 might seem to lag Bevan at 56.71 until you look at those innings where batsmen have been out (which, I must admit, is not a clinching argument). Here he does 26.17 to Bevan's 27.94. The Bevan camp might say Dhoni didn't enjoy batting in South Africa (21.70 from 12 innings) countered by the Dhoni camp (Bevan in Sri Lanka: 27 from 20 innings). (In fact Dhoni's numbers in South Africa are part of a larger trend that shows all Indian batsmen take substantial dips in their batting average in that country).

Interestingly, Bevan never became a force in Tests even though he scored Sheffield Shield runs by the bagful. There was talk that he didn't like the short pitched ball though he would have been dished that out substantially in first class cricket in Australia. I rather think he was more suited to the one-day game where his hit-the-gap-and-run-hard style was so effective. Dhoni too, till he unfurls shots later in the innings, is a jabber, a streetsmart batsman who gives you the impression he is in a boxing ring sometimes: jab, punch, defend, defend, jab.

I also believe a similar attitude allows him to enjoy the one-day game more than a Test match, or indeed more than a t20 match. Witness how he sneaks overs in from part-timers, lets a bowler go all ten at a time, lets his instincts run...he makes no secret of the fact that he enjoys the one-day game. And he can get by some days with a weak bowling side, something he can't do in test matches where he can often spend an hour searching for a bowler. Don't forget that he never had access to the giant hearted Anil Kumble and that Harbhajan Singh seemed to be past his best most times. You can see it is a combination that allows test matches to drift at times.

... contd.

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