An extremely dignified man, and a proud servant of Indian cricket, took two correct decisions on India’s tour of England. One, that the older players had no place in Twenty20 cricket and two, that he didn’t want to be India’s cricket captain any more. The second of those, even if right, was disturbing, because it meant a deeply committed man was willing to walk away from something he cherished.

One of the great privileges of being a top sportsman, and that is true of a few other professions, is that you can enjoy every day at work. It is what allows you to remain competitive and become better. When the fun goes out of it, it is time to move on and it was becoming apparent in England that the fun was going out of being captain of India for Rahul Dravid. And so, while a captain has gone, it is important to know if the reasons for his going have gone as well.

Ideally, a captain should be free to think about the game and his players. If matters outside the playing field begin to occupy his mind more than those on it then there is a problem in the system that is causing it to happen. If a captain has to keep thinking about contracts, coaches, schedules and such other matters that really should be someone else’s responsibility, it is taking away time from his primary activity.

Nasser Hussain quit as captain in 2003 because he was being forced to think more about Robert Mugabe than about the opposition. If Dravid has left the job for similar reasons, then all we will have is a new face with the same worries.

... contd.