Calls for sacking Indian skipperMahendra Singh Dhoni grew louder today with batting legendSunil Gavaskar leading the chorus after India's dismalperformance during the last 18 months capped by a seriescapitulation to England today.
Apart from Gavaskar, several former cricketers includingformer chairman of selectors Kris Srikkanth, Atul Wassan andAbbas Ali Baig wanted a change in Test captaincy with ViratKohli's name being suggested as a possible replacement.
Gavaskar said it was time the selectors looked to thefuture as Dhoni seemed out of sorts in this series.
"Till the fourth day of this Test I said there is noalternative to Mahendra Singh Dhoni, but now that Virat(Kohli) has come up with a 100 under trying circumstances Ithink he has discovered a good part about himself. I think heis ready to take on the mantle," the former India skippersaid.
"I think this is something to be looked at in a positivemanner because that's where the future is," Gavaskar said.
Srikkanth was of the view that Dhoni will be better ofwithout the captaincy burden from now on.
"Dhoni's become stale and doesn't know what to do whenthings go out of the way. He shouldn't be the Test captainanymore. Had I been the chairman of selectors, I would havepicked Dhoni as a wicket-keeper batsman but it is time to lookbeyond him as a Test captain," Srikkanth said.
"I will pick Dhoni as a keeper/batsman because hiscontribution has to be considered. I think he will be betteroff without captaincy and add more value to the Test team,"Srikkanth said.
Former cricketer Abbas Ali Baig also called for a changeof leadership and said Kohli should be given the mantle. "Wehave to look ahead to the future and plan accordingly".
Dubbed 'Captain Cool' ever since India won the 2007 World Twenty20 Championships under him, Dhoni's stock has beenfalling over the past couple of years with poor away resultsin Tests.
Add to this, the series loss to England in thehome series, have severely exposed India's battingshortcomings after the retirement of middle-order batsmen suchas Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman.
"The easiest thing for me to say right now is 'I quitcaptaincy' and be a part of the side. But that's like runningaway from the responsibility," says Dhoni.
"Of course there are others who will decide. There isBCCI and the administrative people who also want to lookinto that (captaincy)", Dhoni had said after the defeat inKolkata when asked whether India needs a change in captaincy.
But his captaincy record of the past two years showsthat the skipper needs to introspect.
In the last two years, India's winning percentage inTests stands at a poor 33.33.
Of the 22 Tests played in this period, including thejust-concluded Nagpur Test, India have won just seven, lost10 and drawn five -- an abysmal stat given that this team wasplaced at the top of the ICC rankings not too long ago.
Majority of these wins, five, have come on home turf andgiven the current stat of affairs, this record too would beaffected.
Away from home under Dhoni, India have lost eight of the13 matches they have played, managing just two wins in thelast couple of years.
Meanwhile former India spinner Bishen Singh Bedi has alsodemanded Dhoni's removal as captain.
"Dhoni should feel lucky that he's still there. If TigerPataudi or Sunil Gavaskar had lost as many Tests, theywouldn't have lasted this long. He hasn't done enough tocontinue being the skipper. He should have been eased outafter the World Cup win," Bedi told Headlines Today.
"He's is not a Test skipper. You need a skipper who'sworthy of his place in the eleven. Tell me is his 99 of anyuse to the team," he asked.
Bedi believes that Virat Kohli should be handed the reinsof the team.
"You can't say we can't bring anyone else. I would makeVirat Kohli the captain. He's got a sharp cricketing brain.
You got to trust the young blood. This is a young man's game.
We've been carrying a lot of dead wood for a long time."
The spin ace, however, stoutly defended batting maestroSachin Tendulkar, who has been under relentless attack for hislow scores in the last two series, against New Zealand andEngland.
"None of us, neither the experts nor the media, arequalified to judge Sachin. Only one person can judge him, thatis Sachin Tendulkar himself. But its very sad to see him likethis," said Bedi.