New Delhi: In what could come as a shocker for many cricket fans from all over the world and specially the fans and supporters of team India, Mahendra Singh Dhoni has said that may be he has played his "last test" at Lord's the spritual home of cricket.
He gave this statement while he was asked to reflect on the historic Test victory at Lord's after a gap of twenty eight years. Dhoni said "Don't know how exactly it feels. It will be my last Test at Lord's. Don't see myself coming back here in I don't know how many years."
He further stated that "Have had close Tests here. Still remember 2007 series where we drew the match because of bad light, and me and Sreesanth were batting at that time. We saved that Test and went on to be victorious in that series. Every match is special and it's great to win Test matches outside India. Being Lord's, yes very special. But at the same time every Test match is special,"
Dhoni's statement is of high importance since Dhoni's caliber as a Test captain has often come up for debate. Considered as one of the finest leaders in the shorter formats of the game, Dhoni's has been found wanting in Test matches.He was severely criticized when India lost to England 4-0 in 2011 series.
Ex Australian captain and cricketer Steve Waugh feels Dhoni is "street-smart" and Indian selectors could look at split captaincy at some stage.
Dhoni's position as Test captain seemingly remains 'safe' because India don't have a second leader. Virat Kohli needs to address his batting first. Captaincy surely was a burden for this immensely talented Delhi batsman during the Indian Premier League. In England so far, Kohli has run out of luck after promising starts.
As for the moment , Dhoni is basking in Lord's glory, especially after reverses in Johannesburg and Wellington earlier this season. Dhoni is impressed by the team's motivation levels. "It (the win) is a result of hard work and effort of the team. I felt in the last couple of series outside India we were in a position to seal victories in one game each in both places, but somehow we were not able to do that. I felt the bowlers put in great efforts in both matches.
"What was important was to keep working hard. Keep giving the same kind of preparation and thinking into the game. And because of that we have sealed the first game for this team. It was fantastic to see the kind of effort and determination from this team," Dhoni said.
Dhoni believes in a process. Success is always the end result of a solid process. Success is also about continuity. Dhoni became India's full-time Test captain quite by default. In the fourth and final Test against Australia in Nagpur he took over the captaincy after Anil Kumble was injured and subsequently retired.
Since then, it's been an amazing success story, both from a team and personal standpoint. Currently valued at $21 million, Dhoni is the fifth most valuable athlete in the world, according to Forbes.
