Break from captaincy will benefit Dhoni - Gavaskar

Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar
believes it would do MS Dhoni good to
take "a break" from the India captaincy.
Dhoni, Gavaskar said, could keep his place
in the team as a player, and use the time
away from the responsibilities and
pressures of leading India to "reflect on
his game".
"It's still early days as far as 2015 World
Cup is concerned, and I believe that a
break in captaincy will do wonders for
Dhoni," Gavaskar told Indian news
channel NDTV. "I am not saying that it
has to happen during the middle of a
series but maybe after the Australia
series [in February] or later part of 2013."
Gavaskar's comments came after a
difficult 18 months for Indian cricket,
during which Dhoni's team was
whitewashed in Test series in England and
Australia and lost a home Test series for
the first time in eight years. Following the
high of the 2011 World Cup triumph, they
have also not enjoyed any significant
success in limited-overs cricket, failing to
make the finals of the CB tri-series in
Australia and the Asia Cup, and exiting in
the second round of the World Twenty20.
While Dhoni's calm under duress is a
positive according to Gavaskar, he said
that Dhoni needed to rethink his game:
"He needs time to reflect on his game
and come back in a better way. I am very
impressed with the manner [in which] he
remains cool and unlike other captains
doesn't clap and all, but a little break
won't be bad.
"Captaining India is a privilege but the
demands and pressures that come with it
are incredible ... He can be part of the
team [without being captain] for the next
couple of years as he is a match-winner."
Following India's Test defeat at home
against England earlier this month,
Gavaskar had said batsman Virat Kohli
looked ready to take over the Test
captaincy. Now, he reiterated that Kohli
had the qualities required to lead India.
"I could be wrong but Virat Kohli might
bring the flair of Tiger Pataudi in his
captaincy. If he knows that he will be
appointed for the long term, he has the
dynamism, the aggression, panache and
class.
"I like everything about him apart from
his mouthing abuses when he reaches a
milestone. I don't want him to change
anything else, as he can bring in a lot of
dynamism."