MS Dhoni captaincy and form of seniors come under scrutiny

Mahendra Singh Dhoni's "tactical errors" and the poor form of some senior players were the main reasons for India's early exit from the World Twenty20, according to former cricketers who said that there was no need for making drastic changes in the team despite the debacle.

While Dhoni came under fire for some of his "tactical blunders", some former cricketers like Sunil Gavaskar were not in favour of changing the captain or making too many changes in the team.

India failed to qualify for the semifinals of World Twenty20 on net run rate and former cricketers said the team's repeated failures in this format should be analysed and corrective measures should be taken.

Former Indian captains like Gavaskar, Anil Kumble, Dilip Vengsarkar and Ajit Wadekar and a host of other ex-cricketers felt that a combination of factors led to India's ouster from the World T20. Some of Dhoni's decisions also evoked criticism from the former players.

"Indian cricket is now at the crossroads. We have not been able to do well in the two shorter formats which we have dominated. We won the World Twenty20 in 2007 and then won the longer 50-over World Cup last year. After that we have been struggling. This is something we have to look into. We have to put our heads together and find out why this has been happening," Gavaskar said.

"I am not saying that there should be an inquiry or a report being sought from the coach. I am also not saying that heads will have to be rolled and there is need for change of captaincy. Absolutely, there is no need for all these things," he added. Gavaskar said that the coach and the captain alone should not be blamed for the debacle as they had taken decisions in the interest of the team.

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