MUMBAI: If anything had to vitiate the dream run of the present Indian team, it had to be something snapping within. The rift in the lute has come in the form of a conflict between captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and the selectors. The debate over the continuation of R.P. Singh in the ongoing ODI series against England had come to such a head that Dhoni had threatened to quit as captain, if R.P. Singh was dropped.
The situation turned so piquant that it had called for the direct intervention of BCCI President Sashank Manohar to resolve the issue. The selection committee may have had the last say in the matter, but a needless controversy was created. It was not so much the disagreement between the skipper and the selectors that was the cause of so much commotion, as it was the fact that it was one of the selectors who had leaked out the proceedings of the meeting that took place in a closed room. Fortunately, a highly upset Dhoni kept his cool and his team achieved another clinical success. A captain offering to resign on a matter of team selection is nothing new in Indian cricket. During the 1958-59 season, the conflict was so rampant that for five-Test series against the West Indies, there were as many as four different captains. To make things worse, no less that 27 players were tried out by the selection committee headed by Lala Amarnath.
After the first Test at Bombay, skipper Polly Umrigar pleaded with the selectors to be relieved of his responsibility, as he did not get the team he wanted. A reluctant Ghulam Ahmed led the side in the next two Tests at Kanpur and Calcutta and then resigned as captain. The selection committee, desperate to get the right man for the job, finally pinned their faith in Vinoo Mankad, who too quit after the fourth Test at Madras.
