Michael Clarke column: Retired legend MS Dhoni will be difficult for India to replace

I CAN’T imagine there would be many jobs in international sport tougher than being the captain of India’s cricket team, writes Michael Clarke.

India's Captains MS Dhoni,(L), and Australian counterpart Michael Clarke chat after Australia won the 3rd Australia v India ...

I CAN’T imagine there would be many jobs in international sport tougher than being the captain of India’s cricket team.

From a touring captain’s perspective, it’s busy enough. There are always thousands of fans gathered outside your hotel, many others lined up along the team bus’ routes and a media contingent unlike anything else in world cricket.

India’s population is almost 1.3 billion. When you’re playing over there, it feels like every single one of them is passionately following the cricket.

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Michael Clarke (L) and MS Dhoni (C) had many tight tussles over the years. Picture: Gregg Porteous.

But we get to fly in, fly out. The Indian players have to live it every hour of every day. Popping out to the coffee shop isn’t an option for them. Most of their time is spent at home, a hotel, an airport or a cricket ground.

I doubt many have dealt with the expectation, scrutiny, pressure and extreme adoration better than MS Dhoni.

How Dhoni has managed to hold down the captaincy while playing all three forms of the game AND wicketkeeping is beyond me. He’s done a wonderful job and I think the hole he has left in the Test team will be hard to fill.

I’ve had quite a few chats with MS over the years, and nearly all of them have been about motorbikes. I love them, but not quite with the same devotion he does. I’m catching up with him at a Spartan BBQ on Sunday and I’ll be riding my Harley there so he can take it for a spin.

I wish him all the best for all that lies ahead.

It was a very different experience watching the Boxing Day Test from the Channel Nine commentary booth. To be honest, it made me hungrier than ever to get back out on the field and do what I love: represent my country on the cricket field.

It was great to see the boys win another Test series. India are always a tough opponent and they’ve been in with a chance in all three Test matches. But our guys have stood up in the key moments to ensure the Border-Gavaskar Trophy is coming back to Australia. Our next challenge is to take our form at home and show more consistency on the road.

As for me, I’m a week ahead of schedule in my rehab from hamstring surgery. I’ve already completed three running sessions and am back riding the bike. I’m still looking at being fit by the early stages of the World Cup but I’ll ultimately be guided by our medical team.

THE Sydney Test will be an emotional occasion for all the boys.

Michael Clarke was widely praised for his leadership in the aftermath of Phillip Hughes’ tragic death. Picture: David Moir.

Phillip Hughes’ family will be at the game and I will be spending my time with them when I’m not in the commentary box.

They have shown incredible strength over the last couple of months and it will be great to see them back out at the ground where they watched their son and brother score so many runs for NSW, South Australia and Australia.

I’m sure it will be tough for some of the boys coming back to the ground where the tragedy occurred a month and a half ago. But Phillip would want us to play on and it’s important the Aussie boys do so to honour his memory.

The SCG was a special ground for Phillip. He played his first ever Test in Australia there against Pakistan in 2010 and scored a cracking 87 in his last Test at the ground against Sri Lanka in 2013, which included a 130-run second wicket stand with Davey Warner.

It’s brilliant that the SCG will honour his memory with a plaque outside the home team dressing room, sixty three bats affixed to the Members Stand and an exhibition in the museum.

I’m sure he’d be chuffed to bits.