Does Dhoni deserve the Khel Ratna?

MSD has been given the award for his outstanding form in ODIs and T20. But his mediocre test performances have obviously not been a consideration

All those who can't fathom why I ask the question, think again. Yes, Dhoni is among the best things that could have happened to Indian cricket in the last few years. We now finally have a wicketkeeper-batsman who allows us the option of going in with an extra bowler or simply enjoy the benefits of a wicket-keeper; who can bludgeon any bowling attack in the world and turn around a match in no time. Also, he has led the team remarkably well in the Twenty20 World Championship and has done reasonably well as ODI captain too. However, the Khel Ratna seems to have come as prematurely as the captainship itself, but that's another issue altogether.

Dhoni, with all his success and hopes pinned on him, should consider himself extremely lucky to get his hands on what is the highest award conferred on any sportsperson in the country. However, for the sake of argument, let's just keep the discussion to cricket.

First, a quick recap into Dhoni's performance at all three levels of the game - Tests, ODIs and T20. In ODIs, MSD has a wonderful average of 48, which goes up to a more impressive 59.10 as captain. In the ten T20 matches he has played so far, although he hasn't played an innings that could be termed memorable, his shrewd captaincy and the subsequent results is what sets him apart. However, it's his Test record, which frankly, is nothing to write home about. With one century in a drawn cause, and a mediocre average of 33.76 in 29 Tests, Dhoni hasn't exactly set the stage ablaze as a Test match player.

Now let's look at a few cricketers, who probably did deserve a shot at the award in their heydays. Right now, they may be at a career low and everybody's punching bag, but I would like to name two of the Big 3: Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid - with the third member, Sachin Tendulkar being the first cricketer to have got the award - who deserved a Khel Ratna in some point of their career much more than Dhoni did now.

Rahul 'The Wall' Dravid is considered one of the best Test batsmen India has ever produced. Only the third Indian after Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar to have gone past the 10,000-run mark in the long version of the game, Dravid has scored centuries in and against all the Test playing nations, many in extremely excruciating circumstances. He has batted at the all important 'one-down' position, and averages over fifty, which in a rare feat goes up while playing overseas. More importantly, he has come good at a time when the team needed him the most. Although VVS Laxman's 281 at Eden Gardens in the second Test against Australia is remembered as one of the best Test innings ever, it was Dravid's quite yet solid 180 not out at the other end that gave Laxman the platform to fire from the other end. Typical to character, Dravid chose to maintain a low profile in most of his innings, sacrificing flamboyance for the grit and consistency that earned him the nickname of The Wall.

Sourav Ganguly, who started his second and more successful stint in the team around the same time as Dravid, had a bit of a different career graph. More flamboyant in his approach to the game, Ganguly rose up the popularity charts soon with blistering performances in ODIs and with Tendulkar, proved to be arguably the best One-day opening partnership ever. He's scored an astounding 11,363 runs in the 50-over format and did decently well in Tests with 6,835 runs at an average of 41.93. But what has clearly been the defining factor about Ganguly is his captaincy and the success India achieved during his stint as skipper. Taking India to the World Cup finals, winning the home series against the Aussies and drawing against them in their own backyard, winning in Pakistan and the best success rate for any Indian captain ever is something that elevates Ganguly's name in cricket books several notches higher.

Then there's the grand old man - Anil Kumble. With over 600 wickets in Tests and the joint-world record of claiming all wickets in a single innings, Kumble has been India's spin bowling mainstay for close to two decades now. Ironically, all three - Dravid, Ganguly and Kumble - have been facing deep criticism for their performances in the current Test series against Sri Lanka.

Lastly, I would like to bring attention to the one man who has been responsible for most of India's test victories in the last five years: Virender Sehwag. A very senior sports expert pointed out to me at the start of the Sri Lankan series that every time Sehwag has fired in a Test, India has won. Even in the current series, it was Sehwag's double hundred in the second Test that set the platform for a surprise victory. Besides, two triple hundreds is a feat only few cricketing greats have achieved.

With MSD being given the Khel Ratna, clearly for his form in ODIs and success as captain at the T20 world championships, Test cricket has been ignored once again. If it hadn't been so, Sehwag would be a clear recipient of the award, for he has been largely responsible for India's victories in what is considered the highest form of the game.

Or is it?

g_aniruddha@dnaindia.net