Sydney: If India approach it the right way MS Dhoni’s absence from the first Test at the Gabba could turn out to be a blessing in disguise. In the first place his Test captaincy of late has been schizophrenic at best - brilliant at home but botched on tour - and his keeping was below par in England.

So his absence provides an opportunity to see what the future is likely to hold with Virat Kohli leading the side. Every captain has a use-by-date and my sense is that Dhoni has reached his in the longer version of the game. He has failed to ignite his side on three tours now - England twice (apart from the early stages in 2014) and the last time in Australia.