The Spectator

Human tendency preserves memories by associating them with easily recognizable signals. Cricket by virtue of its inherent nature furnishes numerical statistics for this function. The two-test series in New Zealand may not be introspected with fond moments, but the bottom-line generated in the process has imparted a deep imprint on the timeline of Indian cricket. The Indian team and MS Dhoni in particular, now formally possess a dubious statistical feat - 4 consecutive away tours losses  and the worst record for an Indian skipper in this context . Apart from getting into a sluggish pit of defeats away from home, the longevity and its consistency is now inducing emotions and retrospection from a critical aperture of the microscope. Naturally such a phase is succeeded by the exercise of identifying a scapegoat, and in the current case Dhoni is the face of all ills. The primary objection to Dhoni's leadership is his perceivable inactive demeanor on the field. ...

Upright batting posture, lazyish trigger movement, the gift of timing and physical strength to assemble these facets into an effective crescendo. The ability to maneuver a particular delivery in multiple directions delectably adds to this armor and decisive feet movement in this process renders an image of élan and eloquence. This is the precise set of events which highlights of most Rohit Sharma batting knocks present, albeit varying in their duration! What those clipped moments smudge is the multiple hits-and-misses at the start and more crucially the instances of inexplicable brain-freeze batting shots which cut many promised stories drastically short of its length. It has been six years since Rohit has been around the international circuit and thanks largely to his touted description has managed to keep the followers yearning consistently for a string of feasts rather than bits of tasty meals. This wish almost materialized with a reasonably good run in 2013, but in a cli...