So, the cat finally seems to be out of the bag. The unrest in the dressing room, which MS Dhoni was referring to, during the fourth day of the Test at Gabba in Brisbane was created by the spat between Virat Kohli and Shikhar Dhawan, if latest news reports are to be believed. Apparently, Kohli was not too pleased with Dhawan's decision not to resume his innings at the start of the day's play. Thus, after he was dismissed cheaply, he came back in and had a go at Dhawan, accusing the opener of chickening out. Not one to take things lying down, the left-hander apparently hit back stating he took pride in playing for the country, and would prefer to sit out if he was underperforming.
While the Indian skipper attributing this volatile scenario as one of the reasons for the loss is childish in itself, the alleged fight in the first place was amateurish in itself. These are professional players representing the country, and are expected to deal with such personal clashes, and ensure such issues do not affect the team's performance. Thus, Dhoni's excuse in this aspect seems out of place. As for Dhawan and Kohli, both of them are also at fault for not being able to handle the situation in a more mature manner. Both are reasonably experienced players, and should have done better than what news reports have suggested.
Speaking of Dhawan first, he definitely seems like the bigger culprit in hindsight. While he initially declared himself unfit to resume his innings at the start of the day, less than an hour later, he was out there, blazing his way away even though India had given up. Former India spinner Anil Kumble, who bowled with a broken jaw in a Test a few years ago, minced no words, stating that Dhawan should have been forced to resume his innings. Kumble even went to the extent of stating that Dhawan perhaps was worried about his place in the squad, and that is why he preferred to come in later.
At the other side of the story in Virat Kohli. At first, one can understand his anger since he wasn't prepared for going out straightaway. But, having come to know that he was going in to bat, though it was only minutes before the resumption of play, Kohli could have done better to deal with the crisis. He could perhaps have thought of it as a situation where a wicket had fallen first ball, and he had to go in. It sounds easier than done for sure, but it wasn't mission impossible. After all, he was in excellent form having smashed two hundreds in the opening Test at Adelaide.
With so much being written and spoken about, the BCCI has now decided to investigate the Dhawan injury incident. This is a good decision taken by the Indian cricket boars, and it is imperative that they get to the bottom of this. If indeed Dhawan wasn't as unfit as he claimed to be, he should be dropped from the side, and be brought back only when he proves his worth again. Anyways, he isn't doing much in terms of scoring runs. As for Kohli, if it is found that he created unnecessary commotion in the dressing room, he should also be penalised. It is important that the BCCI acts on the same.
--By A Cricket Analyst
