THE HINDU Editorial Vocabulary-January 7, 2017- Topic 2
Dhoni: A remarkable Captain
Mahendra Singh Dhoni is regarded as one of the
country’s most dashing cricketers, but his flamboyance is founded, almost
ironically, on an inexplicably cool and calculated head. There are no means of
divining why he chose to relinquish India’s limited-overs captaincy when
he did; his natural reserve ensures that his cards are almost always played
close to his chest.
In the context of where Indian cricket is at this juncture, it appears like an exceptionally clear-sighted decision, brave and selfless in equal measure. He has effectively said he will earn a place as a wicketkeeper-batsman. He has given the team management time to build to the next World Cup, in 2019; if he is not a part of that vision, he will not hold down a spot merely by virtue of being skipper. Given Dhoni’s standing, he is probably the only one who could have made that call. It is unlikely that any selection panel will have summoned the courage to drop him. While his glove-work has not dipped significantly — he remains a predatory presence behind the wicket — his aura as a finisher has dimmed. Although he is no less capable with the bat, the almost eerie certainty one had that he will get the job done has dissipated. With age — Dhoni turns 36 this July — the greats do not necessarily lose their skill. But the consistency of execution suffers.
In the context of where Indian cricket is at this juncture, it appears like an exceptionally clear-sighted decision, brave and selfless in equal measure. He has effectively said he will earn a place as a wicketkeeper-batsman. He has given the team management time to build to the next World Cup, in 2019; if he is not a part of that vision, he will not hold down a spot merely by virtue of being skipper. Given Dhoni’s standing, he is probably the only one who could have made that call. It is unlikely that any selection panel will have summoned the courage to drop him. While his glove-work has not dipped significantly — he remains a predatory presence behind the wicket — his aura as a finisher has dimmed. Although he is no less capable with the bat, the almost eerie certainty one had that he will get the job done has dissipated. With age — Dhoni turns 36 this July — the greats do not necessarily lose their skill. But the consistency of execution suffers.
The legacy Dhoni bequeaths Virat Kohli is a team
secure in its skin, certain it can win from any position. There was no better
captain in the game’s shorter forms than Dhoni during his time. He is the only
skipper to have won all three major trophies — the World Cup, the World
Twenty20 and the Champions Trophy. Michael Clarke and Brendon McCullum had
greater attacking verve. They were certainly superior Test captains. But in the
art of managing a finite innings, reading a contest’s rhythm and its tactical
contours, Dhoni had no equal. He had an intuitive feel for what could happen
and the ability to get the best out of his resources, however bare. His
greatest strength was his nerve. Where others tried to finish things quickly to
pre-empt panicking, he took games deep. He raised the stakes, knowing he would
not blink before his opponent. Remarkably, he managed to transmit this sense of
composure to his team. He asked his bowlers to relax and stick to the plan; the
responsibility of the result was his to bear. Few cricketers have stayed in the
present as successfully as he has. Fortunately for Indian cricket, his
successor is every bit as impressive. Kohli, moreover, will have access, should
he choose, to all of Dhoni’s considerable powers.
Vocabulary
Ironical: using or
characterized by irony.
Example: His
mouth curved into an ironic smile
Synonyms: sarcastic, sardonic, cynical, mocking
Inexplicable: unable
to be explained or accounted for.
Example: For
some inexplicable reason her mind went completely blank
Synonyms: unaccountable, unexplainable, incomprehensible, unfathomable
Relinquish: voluntarily
cease to keep or claim; give up.
Example: He
relinquished his managerial role to become chief executive
Synonyms: renounce, give
up/away, hand over, let go of
Juncture: a
particular point in events or time.
Example: It
is difficult to say at this juncture whether this upturn can be sustained
Synonyms: point, point
in time, time, moment, moment in time, period
Predatory: relating
to or denoting an animal or animals preying naturally on others.
Example: Predatory
birds
Synonyms: predacious, carnivorous, hunting, raptorial, of
prey
Aura: the
distinctive atmosphere or quality that seems to surround and be generated by a
person, thing, or place.
Example: The
ceremony retains an aura of mystery
Synonyms: atmosphere, ambience, air, quality, character, mood, feeling, feel
Eerie: strange
and frightening.
Example: An
eerie green glow in the sky
Synonyms: uncanny, sinister, ghostly, unnatural, unearthly, supernatural
Bequeaths: leave a
personal estate or one's body to a person or other beneficiary by a will.
Example: An identical sum was bequeathed by Margaret
Verve: vigor and
spirit or enthusiasm.
Example: Kollo
sings with supreme verve and flexibility
Synonyms: enthusiasm, vigor, energy, pep, dynamism, elan, vitality
Intuitive: using or
based on what one feels to be true even without conscious reasoning;
instinctive.
Example: I
had an intuitive conviction that there was something unsound in him
Synonyms: instinctive, instinctual, innate, inborn, inherent, natural, congenital