MS Dhoni8217;s problems keep multiplying

You know it has been a long and unsuccessful tour when the Indian captain is not sure of the qualification rules to the finals of an ongoing tournament. And this summer in Australia,one that will end for India if Dhoni amp; Co do not beat Sri Lanka with a bonus point at the Bellerive Oval on Tuesday,has been the kind that the Indian team would erase from their memory in a hurry. Dhoni,clearly,almost has.

Net run rate,Dhoni was told,does not come into the equation,only head-to-head results do. Broken down even more simply,the Indian captain was explained that if a big if at that his side beats Mahela Jayawardenes side by five points and Australia record a victory over the Islanders in the final group game at the Melbourne Cricket Ground,India will have booked its tickets to Brisbane for the first of three finals starting Sunday.

Dhoni smiled. Well,Im quite happy to hear that, he said. That gives us another chance. And for that one last shot at glory,or at least at turning around their mediocre tour in the final attempt,the Indians arrived at serene Hobart on Monday.

Hard task

To win by a bonus point means either chasing down a target in 40 overs or less in the second innings,or setting a total and bowling out the Lankans for less than 80 per cent of that score. So far in this tournament,India have been far from doing the former and have never batted first to achieve the latter.

It would be very optimistic of me to think that we could do it. If you see,we have consistently failed with the bat which means that whatever the opposition scores,the task of chasing it down in 40 overs is a difficult one, Dhoni said. But Im happy that there is a chance.

It hasnt been easy being under Dhonis thinking cap in Australia,a far cry from his glory days from not so long ago. The year 2011 had begun with a drawn Test series in South Africa,one that had preserved his 100 per cent record of never losing a Test series as captain. Just a year and two white-flannel whitewashes later,Dhoni the leader has come under the severest of scrutinies in all formats.

Despite popular perception,the T20s were never his forte. That loss could be excused,for India at least tied the two-match series. But thanks to three crushing losses and two last-over wins over the last fortnight,the most alluring aura acquired with the World Cup win has now faded into a distant memory. Its been disappointing, Dhoni admitted,even more so than the ODI defeats in England. There England we had quite a few injury worries,but here in Australia we had all our regular players to choose from a healthy dressing room. Physically healthy,maybe. But emotionally,not so.

At the end of perhaps his penultimate press conference on this three-month long tour,Dhoni was asked a simple question. What,the scribe questioned,excites him to remain Team India captain? The challenge, he said,before pouring out his laundry list of reasons. The challenge of playing with the seniors,to groom the youngsters,to keep the dressing room atmosphere good,to keep India moving in the right direction. Dhoni mentioned everything bar the most exciting aspect of them all winning cricket matches.

On a different day or during a better tour,the Indian captain might have answered that question in one crisp sentence. But on Tuesday against the Lankans,he will have one last shot at getting to the point.

Live on Star Cricket,8.50 am