Dhoni, Kohli respect each other

Most fans thought India could go all the way in the World Cup. It was a 300-plus team with the bat, and the bowlers dismissed each team until they faced Australia in the semifinals. The fielders looked good enough to get 10 run-outs. Let’s pause — isn’t this the same team which had lost in Tests and the Tri-series? A team that had been on tour for almost half a year, which was without its Test captain in the first and last Test? A team that had hardly anyone with 50 Tests, a team scarred by defeats in England. Yes, there were no two teams. The team that had lost everything had almost the same personnel which reached the World Cup semifinal. The team in the World Cup was, still, different. They wanted to see the Australians in the eye, and not take a backward step. They wanted to improve in skills, get better in the mind, bond stronger every next day. They ended up ticking all these boxes. And that’s why the team which took the field in Sydney had your support. You trusted them to defend the title. They trusted themselves. In my view, the tour of Australia was an unqualified success. I’m not biased: I would’ve said the same from behind a microphone. If India were bad, they wouldn’t have made 400-plus scores in each of the four Tests. They would have looked to shut the shop in Adelaide rather than go for that 360-plus target. They would have buckled after hours in sun against a relentless team in four back-to-back Tests inside a month. There are more chances of finding an all-white penguin in Antarctica than winning visitors in Australia. There is hardly a precedent. It’s cricket’s StarTrek: To go where no-one has gone before. The holy grail. You remember Kohli for his four hundreds, Rahane for his silken touch, Vijay for his patience and K. Rahul for his steel. But the stats would never reveal how much these young players have grown. They had seen their seniors leave, they were asked to walk through the fire of four foreign tours in 2014. They are still on their feet. They are good enough to be around in the next decade. You don’t pick favourites in your family, and nor would I among these fresh, tough kids. They were all under a banner. So was I. We wanted to turn the corner after the England tour. We wanted to be sure the wheels hadn’t come off. To have millions rooting for you in Sydney, after those long months, was a vindication. Personally, I was in the dressing room after two decades. Yes, the game has changed. But it still is a sport which men of flesh and blood play. Players still worry about their performance. They still get the jetlag; they still are exhausted; everyday nets still don’t look an invitation to a party. You fret how the world has viewed you today; how the media has opined; what kind of fans would turn up at the hotel lobby after a firstball duck; what’s the official engagement in every other city. In the airport to airport, hotel to hotel, ground to ground, nets to nets narrative is the sameness which could engulf most but the toughest. One still needs to be smart to fill up his free time. I see some serious ambition in these young men. Money they have had aplenty. It’s the respect which moves them. They have areas to improve in. All of us do. Some would have issues with the off-stump; some with playing across the line; some with the pull, and some might play too much in the air. The bowlers always want quality, discipline, fitness, new tricks. These boys believe they can improve. And they would. These are strong shoulders India could rely on. Further, there is clarity in the leadership. This is vital. Kohli starts his reign in Tests. Dhoni the Fox heads the ODI pack. One is not that new. The other is not that old. Ideas can be bounced around, workload shared, checklists compared. Both have respect for each other, none of the two would look over their shoulders, none eyes the other’s fruits. No contrary commands. No overlapping. In batting, the top six is the same in both formats. This is fluidity, stability. These are sensible heads. They don’t grumble when moved up and down the order. No theatrics. Each standing for the other. Loudest at his mate’s success. I was witness to it for a good length of time. It fills me up with hope. It’s a nice stew in the pot to take care of your appetite.