:yes: Dhoni :clap: for his 98..
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:yes: Dhoni :clap: for his 98..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYNKku58wjI
Listen to what Dhoni says :lol:
:rotfl3:Quote:
Originally Posted by Ramakrishna
Captain Cool Dhoni on the trigger!
Wednesday, Dec 15 2010
Chennai: The Walther air rifle which India and Chennai Super Kings skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni recently ordered, arrived in India on Thursday.
Dhoni had approached indianshooting.com which represents Walther in India and ordered this top end air rifle just after the conclusion of the Commonwealth Games.
Dhoni opted for the .177 Carbontec model, the same that Abhinav Bindra had used to win the Gold medal at the Beijing Olympics in 2008.
The landing cost of this rifle is Euro 2,400 and is 4.5 kg in weight, according to a release from indianshooting.com.
Walther is a World renowned German gun manufacturer which caters to many Olympic and world champions including world record holder Gagan Narang.
The Walther is also famous for its Walther PPK model which was used by James Bond in many of the 007 movies.
Dhoni’s latest acquisition is in keeping with his love for fast bikes and Formula One, but his affinity for rifles was hitherto not widely known.
The skipper is currently in South Africa leading the Indian team in the Test and ODI series beginning next week.
Got this in YT.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ntFYmAR93c&feature=fvst
heartwarming to see Dhoni perform in SA tracks......beautifully played and got out only to a great ball :clap:
Memorable innings :bow: :bow:
I have seen him getting out to short balls closer to body before. SA bowlers had done their homework.Quote:
Originally Posted by MADDY
it seems that they let dhoni to get 90 and then show their homeworkQuote:
Originally Posted by littlemaster1982
As Tendulkar said, a strong message has been sent. That the team wouldn't roll over and die. It is a message both the teams will carry into the rest of the series. A few players might have been exposed during this Test, but mentally this team is different from the Indian teams of yore. In two years, this team has crossed 450 in the second innings of away Tests twice. In their whole Test-playing history, India have done so only six times.
http://www.espncricinfo.com/south-af...ry/493498.html
MSD.. Take my hugs!!!
super innings from thalaivar :notworthy: 8-)
//ithu south africa match//
This one nipped back quite sharply to come close to the body and got his glove. If it had maintained its natural path it was an easy leave. The sharp turn was quite unexpected. It would have got any batsman out.
Quote:
Originally Posted by littlemaster1982
Annan about to break Azharudin's record :clap: ......a moment to rejoice indeed...... :clap:
request to Annan fans - dont answer provocations.....let us win, let them whine..........the victory is ours, the moment is ours* - lets not donate it to sadistic intentions
*this moment is as much as other players' fans as well
Point taken..
M.S. Dhoni joined Mohammad Azharuddin at second place in the list of India's most successful Test captains after the win in Kingsmead.
The victory was Dhoni's 14th in 23 Tests. He has lost three and drawn six. Azharuddin had 14 victories from 47 Tests in charge. Sourav Ganguly leads the list with 21 wins from 49 Tests (13 losses, 15 draws).
“It means I've got a good side,” said Dhoni, asked what the record meant.
“What it means is that we've played consistent cricket over a period of time. We started this process around September 2008 and two years hence we're in a position where we can say we have done well in most places.
“Of course it's a proud moment. As a team whether it's batting, bowling or fielding we've done consistently well.”
“We've taken some good catches despite not being a brilliant ground-fielding side. It feels really good that we've done well together.”
When told that his winning percentage was the fourth best among captains with at least 20 Tests (only Steve Waugh, Sir Donald Bradman, and Ricky Ponting have a better ratio of wins to Tests), Dhoni asked in jest, “So I should retire?”
“What I want is my team to respect me, not anything else,” he added.
“There can be a situation where the team is doing well and the captain is labelled as doing a good job. I'm fortunate to have people who are willing to go onto the field and do their best.”
http://www.thehindu.com/sport/cricke...cle1016649.ece
The last sentence alone makes me love this man!!
Dhoni is very modest alwys.... :bow:Quote:
Originally Posted by ajaybaskar
most successful captaan :D :clap: :clap: 8-)
fourth best among overall . way to go thalivaa :smokesmirk: :smokesmirk:
Forgot to say this - recently, Dhoni walked for a lbw second time in his career after the prev world cup against murali.
Selective spirit-of-cricket-follower Gilly-ai periya gendilman-nu image create paNNi vechukarachE, idhai ellAm nallA parappaNum. engE? idhai ellAm vittupudaRinga.
another feather in Annan's cap :clap: he just knows how to manage things even when he is not 100%
Thaliva
:notworthy: :notworthy: :thumbsup: :2thumbsup: :2thumbsup:
maintains the unique record of never losing a series
Player Country Career Tests Won Lost Drawn Toss
Waugh, S R Australia 1985-2004 57 41 (71.93%) 9 (15.79%) 7 (12.28%) 31 (54.39%)
Bradman, D G Australia 1928-1948 24 15 (62.50%) 3 (12.50%) 6 (25.00%) 10 (41.67%)
Ponting, R T* Australia 1995- 77 48 (62.34%) 16 (20.78%) 13 (16.88%) 37 (48.05%)
Dhoni, M S * India 2005- 23 14 (60.87%) 3 (13.04%) 6 (26.09%) 8 (34.78%)
Hassett, A L Australia 1938-1953 24 14 (58.33%) 4 (16.67%) 6 (25.00%) 18 (75.00%)
Brearley, J M England 1976-1981 31 18 (58.06%) 4 (12.90%) 9 (29.03%) 13 (41.94%)
Woodfull, W M Australia 1926-1934 25 14 (56.00%) 7 (28.00%) 4 (16.00%) 12 (48.00%)
Richards, I V A West Indies 1974-1991 50 27 (54.00%) 8 (16.00%) 15 (30.00%) 23 (46.00%)
Pollock, S M South Africa 1995-2008 26 14 (53.85%) 5 (19.23%) 7 (26.92%) 9 (34.62%)
Jayawardene, D P M* Sri Lanka 1997- 28 15 (53.57%) 7 (25.00%) 6 (21.43%) 14 (50.00%)
Taylor, M A Australia 1989-1999 50 26 (52.00%) 13 (26.00%) 11 (22.00%) 26 (52.00%)
Vaughan, M P England 1999-2008 51 26 (50.98%) 11 (21.57%) 14 (27.45%) 24 (47.06%)
Cronje, W J South Africa 1992-2000 53 27 (50.94%) 11 (20.75%) 15 (28.30%) 22 (41.51%)
Chappell, I M Australia 1964-1980 30 15 (50.00%) 5 (16.67%) 10 (33.33%) 17 (56.67%)
May, P B H England 1951-1961 41 20 (48.78%) 10 (24.39%) 11 (26.83%) 27 (65.85%)
Lloyd, C H West Indies 1966-1984 74 36 (48.65%) 12 (16.22%) 26 (35.14%) 35 (47.30%)
Strauss, A J* England 2004- 31 15 (48.39%) 5 (16.13%) 11 (35.48%) 20 (64.52%)
Wasim Akram Pakistan 1985-2002 25 12 (48.00%) 8 (32.00%) 5 (20.00%) 8 (32.00%)
Hutton, L England 1937-1955 23 11 (47.83%) 4 (17.39%) 8 (34.78%) 7 (30.43%)
Jayasuriya, S T* Sri Lanka 1991-2007 38 18 (47.37%) 12 (31.58%) 8 (21.05%) 25 (65.79%)
Smith, G C* South Africa 2002- 82 38 (46.34%) 24 (29.27%) 20 (24.39%) 45 (54.88%)
Richardson, R B West Indies 1983-1995 24 11 (45.83%) 6 (25.00%) 7 (29.17%) 12 (50.00%)
Chappell, G S Australia 1970-1984 48 21 (43.75%) 13 (27.08%) 14 (29.17%) 29 (60.42%)
Benaud, R Australia 1952-1964 28 12 (42.86%) 4 (14.29%) 11 (39.29%) 11 (39.29%)
Ganguly, S C India 1996-2008 49 21 (42.86%) 13 (26.53%) 15 (30.61%) 21 (42.86%)
Javed Miandad Pakistan 1976-1993 34 14 (41.18%) 6 (17.65%) 14 (41.18%) 12 (35.29%)
Illingworth, R England 1958-1973 31 12 (38.71%) 5 (16.13%) 14 (45.16%) 15 (48.39%)
Hussain, N England 1990-2004 45 17 (37.78%) 15 (33.33%) 13 (28.89%) 19 (42.22%)
Howarth, G P New Zealand 1975-1985 30 11 (36.67%) 7 (23.33%) 12 (40.00%) 17 (56.67%)
Goddard, J D C West Indies 1948-1957 22 8 (36.36%) 7 (31.82%) 7 (31.82%) 12 (54.55%)
Lawry, W M Australia 1961-1971 25 9 (36.00%) 8 (32.00%) 8 (32.00%) 8 (32.00%)
Inzamam-ul-Haq Pakistan 1992-2007 31 11 (35.48%) 11 (35.48%) 9 (29.03%) 15 (48.39%)
Fleming, S P New Zealand 1994-2008 80 28 (35.00%) 27 (33.75%) 25 (31.25%) 38 (47.50%)
Border, A R Australia 1978-1994 93 32 (34.41%) 22 (23.66%) 38 (40.86%) 47 (50.54%)
Darling, J Australia 1894-1905 21 7 (33.33%) 4 (19.05%) 10 (47.62%) 7 (33.33%)
Dravid, R * India 1996- 25 8 (32.00%) 6 (24.00%) 11 (44.00%) 15 (60.00%)
Simpson, R B Australia 1957-1978 39 12 (30.77%) 12 (30.77%) 15 (38.46%) 19 (48.72%)
Dexter, E R England 1958-1968 30 9 (30.00%) 7 (23.33%) 14 (46.67%) 13 (43.33%)
Azharuddin, M India 1984-2000 47 14 (29.79%) 14 (29.79%) 19 (40.43%) 29 (61.70%)
Cowdrey, M C England 1954-1975 27 8 (29.63%) 4 (14.81%) 15 (55.56%) 17 (62.96%)
Gooch, G A England 1975-1995 34 10 (29.41%) 12 (35.29%) 12 (35.29%) 16 (47.06%)
Imran Khan Pakistan 1971-1992 48 14 (29.17%) 8 (16.67%) 26 (54.17%) 25 (52.08%)
Bedi, B S India 1966-1979 22 6 (27.27%) 11 (50.00%) 5 (22.73%) 13 (59.09%)
Walsh, C A West Indies 1984-2001 22 6 (27.27%) 7 (31.82%) 9 (40.91%) 13 (59.09%)
Kardar, A H Pakistan 1946-1958 23 6 (26.09%) 6 (26.09%) 11 (47.83%) 10 (43.48%)
Atherton, M A England 1989-2001 54 13 (24.07%) 21 (38.89%) 20 (37.04%) 23 (42.59%)
Sobers, G S A West Indies 1954-1974 39 9 (23.08%) 10 (25.64%) 20 (51.28%) 27 (69.23%)
Nawab of Pataudi Jr India 1961-1975 40 9 (22.50%) 19 (47.50%) 12 (30.00%) 20 (50.00%)
Ranatunga, A Sri Lanka 1982-2000 56 12 (21.43%) 19 (33.93%) 25 (44.64%) 29 (51.79%)
Lara, B C West Indies 1990-2006 47 10 (21.28%) 26 (55.32%) 11 (23.40%) 20 (42.55%)
Hammond, W R England 1927-1947 20 4 (20.00%) 3 (15.00%) 13 (65.00%) 11 (55.00%)
Smith, M J K England 1958-1972 25 5 (20.00%) 3 (12.00%) 17 (68.00%) 10 (40.00%)
Vettori, D L* New Zealand 1997- 30 6 (20.00%) 15 (50.00%) 9 (30.00%) 16 (53.33%)
Gavaskar, S M India 1971-1987 47 9 (19.15%) 8 (17.02%) 30 (63.83%) 22 (46.81%)
Streak, H H Zimbabwe 1993-2005 21 4 (19.05%) 11 (52.38%) 6 (28.57%) 13 (61.90%)
Hooper, C L West Indies 1987-2002 22 4 (18.18%) 11 (50.00%) 7 (31.82%) 15 (68.18%)
MacLaren, A C England 1894-1909 22 4 (18.18%) 11 (50.00%) 7 (31.82%) 11 (50.00%)
Tendulkar, S R* India 1989- 25 4 (16.00%) 9 (36.00%) 12 (48.00%) 15 (60.00%)
Gower, D I England 1978-1992 32 5 (15.63%) 18 (56.25%) 9 (28.13%) 14 (43.75%)
Gayle, C H* West Indies 2000- 20 3 (15.00%) 9 (45.00%) 8 (40.00%) 8 (40.00%)
Hughes, K J Australia 1977-1984 28 4 (14.29%) 13 (46.43%) 11 (39.29%) 13 (46.43%)
Kapil Dev India 1978-1994 34 4 (11.76%) 7 (20.59%) 22 (64.71%) 15 (44.12%)
Campbell, A D R Zimbabwe 1992-2002 21 2 (9.52%) 12 (57.14%) 7 (33.33%) 15 (71.43%)
Reid, J R New Zealand 1949-1965 34 3 (8.82%) 18 (52.94%) 13 (38.24%) 16 (47.06%)
Gatting, M W England 1978-1995 23 2 (8.70%) 5 (21.74%) 16 (69.57%) 14 (60.87%)
Flower, A Zimbabwe 1992-2002 20 1 (5.00%) 10 (50.00%) 9 (45.00%) 10 (50.00%)
Annan Number 4 in all time list... And he has very poor toss win %.... Point to be taken...
"... you always hope you get some of the same players back, and maybe leave some who didn't get a chance to play because they may get a chance to get into the playing eleven of some other team," - MSD
What a man! MSD rocks!
Source: http://cricketnext.in.com/news/ipl-d...3.html?from=tn
yeah. :clap:
:notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy:Quote:
Originally Posted by lawmani
Ippadiyum yosikkalaamo?
http://www.thehindu.com/sport/other-sports/article1075257.ece
Dhoni to be guest of honour at National Games
Indian captain MS Dhoni will be the guest of honour at the 34th National Games to be held here from February 12 to 26.
Dhoni is expected to grace to be present during the inauguration on February 12.
Sudesh Mahato, the Deputy Chief Minister and the Sports Minister of Jharkhand, told PTI that the State government has invited Dhoni to grace the event either during the inauguration or the closing ceremony and it is expected that he will be attending the inaugural ceremony of the games.
“Dhoni is from Ranchi and he is the son of the soil. He has given his consent and most probably he will be an added attraction at the inaugural ceremony of the National Games,” Mahato said.
He said that the State government is planning to invite President Pratibha Patil to inaugurate the games and the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for the closing ceremony.
“In all 24 events will be organised in which 7063 players, 862 team officials, 1552 technical support officials and 490 local officials will attend,” Mahato said.
8-)
South African all-rounder Albie Morkel has thanked India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni for inquiring about him after he was excluded from the side for the five-match one-day series against the visitors.
Dhoni inquired about Morkel, after the national selection panel led by former South Africa opener Andrew Hudson, gave the boot to the all-rounder.
"It was a great honour to hear that a player of (Dhoni's) calibre had good things to say about me, but I don't think the selectors will change their minds now," Morkel said.
"Naturally it was disappointing not to make the team, because it's now reasonably clear that it's the end of my dream of representing South Africa in the World Cup," the all-rounder was quoted as saying by Beeld.
Having played in 51 One-Day Internationals and 31 T20 matches, Morkel is still one of the most sought-after T20 players in the world.
He was the lone South African player to be retained by an IPL side, Chennai Super Kings, for the fourth edition of the T20 league starting in April.
Morkel also has a contract to play in Sri Lanka in July. "That is probably the direction I will have to take if the selectors believe I am not good enough to make the team," Morkel said adding that there were no "sour grapes" over his omission, even though he was waiting for the official reason.
http://cricket.ndtv.com/storypage.as...4&nid=79299&cp
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAZARvAGe8M&NR=1
Thalaivar Bare Body... Semmaya irukaar...
I read somewhere that Plessis was recommended by Albie and hence was the surprise pick in the IPL auction.
Albie's reco?
IvanE estraa luggage.
Dhoni at No. 13 in list of greatest ODI cricketers
NEW DELHI: The latest innovation to measure the impact and performance of cricketers, to be found on www.impactindexcricket.com, has two active Indian players in the top 20 of the ODI Impact Index: Mahendra Singh Dhoni at No. 13 and Sachin Tendulkar at No. 18. The only other active cricketers in that category are South African Jacques Kallis at No. 8, Australia's Shane Watson at 16 and West Indian Chris Gayle at 19. Dhoni and Sachin apart, Kapil Dev is the only Indian in the top 25, ranked at No. 9.
If you're surprised at Sachin's relatively low ranking, remember the new system does not rate cricketers by aggregates, but by how much of an impact the player has had in his team winning matches. Also, when you're talking about the 20 best of all time, there clearly isn't all that much to choose between the one on top and the one at the bottom of that exclusive club.
Everybody in the top 25 of the list has more or less multiple skills, maybe useful even as a part-timer with the ball or a handy batsman. The only one who makes it almost entirely on the strength of a single skill is West Indian Joel Garner, universally acknowledged as one of the most effective ODI bowlers ever and the master of the yorker in the death overs.
The system has been applied to all forms of the game, but with the ODI World Cup just round the corner, its creators have understandably decided to start by revealing their findings for the 50-over version.
Source: TOI
Pepsi Change The Game - Dhoni's Helicopter Shot
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hkg4w92fAmo
"He (Dhoni) is the most fascinating character at Chennai Super Kings. He is India's Ricky Ponting, an unpretentious working class boy with simple, clear thoughts on the game and a love of rolling up his sleeves and getting into it. Like Punter, he thrives in training. One minute he is batting, next he is throwing the stumps down, next he is onto something else. Dhoni is very direct.
"I related to Dhoni on several levels, including his ability to enjoy life outside the game and see cricket as a vehicle to pursue other passions. He is an all-action sort of character, in every way. He can be an elusive character. I have never once got him on the phone, and at times I think he likes to hide from the madhouse world in his hotel room, as well as getting out and doing his own things," Hayden wrote.
http://www.cricbuzz.com/cricket-news...ur-test-hayden
When Mahendra Singh Dhoni opened the bowling with a spinner in his first Test as captain in 2008, the message was clear -- he would not be a prisoner to convention.
Following hunches produced the desired results as Harbhajan Singh responded with four second-innings wickets to help India level a three-match series against South Africa on an underprepared, spinner-friendly Kanpur track.
"I prefer to go by instinct (in some situations)," Dhoni said after leading his team to a tense one-run victory over South Africa in the second one-day international in Johannesburg last month.
Dhoni was the first wicket-keeper to lead India in Tests, but had already proved his credentials as captain when his young side triumphed in the inaugural World Twenty20 championships in South Africa in 2007.
His stock rose instantly as he was named one-day skipper the same year, but at a time when India were trying to revive their fortunes in the 50-over game after the disastrous 2007 World Cup campaign in the Caribbean.
India bowed out in the first round after losing their opening match against Bangladesh in Trinidad, with former Australian batsman Greg Chappell as coach and Rahul Dravid as captain.
The national selectors plumped for Dhoni after record-breaking batsman Sachin Tendulkar refused to lead and, in turn, recommended the youngster for the job.
All captains are under pressure, but an Indian skipper is under more scrutiny than others because of fans' huge expectations in the cricket-crazy country.
So far, Dhoni has handled the pressure remarkably well.
He is not merely a cool captain, but also a devastating batsman and a safe wicket-keeper.
The burden of captaincy has not affected his batting as he cracked an unbeaten half-century in his early months as one-day skipper, powering his team to a five-wicket win over Pakistan in Guwahati in November 2007.
With former South African batsman Gary Kirsten as coach, Dhoni's Indians tasted success in home one-day series, beating England, Sri Lanka, South Africa and New Zealand in recent years.
India are ranked number one in Tests and number two in one-dayers, thanks to the Dhoni-Kirsten combination. They recently drew a tough three-Test series 1-1 in South Africa, the first time they returned home unbeaten from that country.
Dhoni had just four ODIS under his belt when he proved he had the ability to demoralise any attack with his power-hitting, smashing four sixes and 15 fours in a 123-ball 148 against Pakistan in Vishakhapatnam in 2005.
Sri Lanka's bowlers were to suffer the same year when Dhoni hammered an unbeaten 183 -- the highest by a wicket-keeper in one-day internationals -- with 10 sixes and 15 fours in the third one-dayer in Jaipur.
India expect Dhoni to continue performing the triple role with distinction in the World Cup.
http://www.cricbuzz.com/cricket-news...oni-is-own-man
Friend just called from the stadium. He said there was thundering applause for Dhoni and Raina when they came in. Their stint with CSK has more or less made them sons of the soil. :-)
Lessons from the Mahi Way
He is just 29 and has a lot of cricket in him yet. A second career though is ready, carved and beckons Mahendra Singh Dhoni or MSD as he is referred to by cricket experts. He has the makings to be among the top motivational speakers, be a leadership guru and a mentor for budding CEOs. And corporate India is sure to queue up for a dose of guru gyaan. But it is Political India — particularly Team UPA — that desperately needs to seek tutorials from the young Captain Courageous. You could say it is easy to succumb to exaggeration amidst the euphoria of the World Cup. You could also argue that he is fortunate (though I prefer “brave”) to have been at the right place at the right time, after all India is obsessed with the lethal fatalism of destiny. There is though no denying his achievements.
MSD is poised on the cusp of history. He may or may not be lucky to win India the 2011 Cup but his legacy is here for posterity. Dhoni has led teams to victory in virtually every form of cricket — from T20 World Cup to topping the ICC Test rankings to leading the Chennai Super Kings which is a global team to victory in the Indian Premier League. Indian pacer Praveen Kumar may have been hijacked by hyperbole when he described Dhoni as “the Obama of cricket” but there is no disputing his leadership or the enigma that this leadership is wrapped in.
Nobody is quite sure whether madness is the method or there is a method in his madness. But his ability to achieve desired outcomes with given resources under varied conditions is unmatched. The context of limitations of talent and meeting public expectations may yield some lessons for the political class. After all as in government on the cricket field too a leader cannot don the role of all the players. Yes, the difference is that victory or defeat on the field is unlikely to be viewed as a life and death situation but unlike in politics failure can end a career. It is also worth recognising that the outcomes are achieved under intense scrutiny. Almost every Indian in the nation of 121 crore people is a self-certified expert. The inclusion of Ashish Nehra and the exclusion of Ravichandran Ashwin are subject to more scrutiny than parliamentary legislation. Like regional elections, every match — and cricket is the focus for over 150 days a year — is a virtual referendum on the talent of the players and the quality of leadership.
Interestingly the context of MSD and MMS — as Manmohan Singh is referred to on social networks — are accidental leaders. Dhoni strayed from soccer to cricket and from goal-keeping to goal setting. Dhoni burst into public imagination by displaying freedom from fear, with audacious strokes that made the team believe in the potential of the possible. Manmohan Singh, the second choice of P V Narasimha Rao, harvested public adulation by liberating India from the shackles of licence raj and the Hindu rate of growth. He has since turned cautious and boldness of approach is limited to — the nuclear deal or the persistence with Indo-Pak peace. In contrast, the inventor of the “helicopter shot” may have eschewed the stroke since but retains audacity in his approach.
Perhaps audacity is a function of youth, but there is no denying the need for audacity if change is the desired outcome. Consider the game plan in the current World Cup. Team India has built its strategy around Sachin Tendulkar, the God of cricket in India. But naturally the plan of every team has been to target Tendulkar. But Tendulkar’s failure in Chennai did not result in a complete collapse. That is primarily because every failure is backed by a Plan B, building partnerships. Obviously other players do play a role and this is the critical difference. Every player is assigned a role, an objective and empowered to achieve the result desired. Similarly this isn’t by any means the youngest or swiftest team but Dhoni strives to achieve efficiency by playing players to their strength on the field.
Evidently Dhoni has been successful in articulating this and communicating in analogies and metaphors. And remember he is dealing with players who have been captains, who have been playing even before he made his debut. Journalists and analysts familiar with team meetings and briefings are struck by the ability of MSD to rationalise objectives and explain decisions. The replacement of Yusuf Pathan with Suresh Raina for instance was succinctly explained in the need for India to bat for 50 overs. Dhoni is just as candid with his own mistakes, for instance in admitting to have read the Mohali pitch wrong. To borrow a phrase from management jargon, the team is on the same page.
Juxtapose this with the UPA. Assuming ‘inclusive growth’ is the instrument to alleviate poverty towards sustaining vote share, Team UPA must focus on rural development and GDP growth to fund it. The problem with rural development is twofold. The top-down approach needs to be replaced with a bottom up partnership with the states. Secondly there is little or no audit of money spent or reviews of outcomes. Clearly the sector requires a Tendulkar or a Yuvraj who can build the partnerships with states but has few takers and is left to tail-enders. If the UPA stated its objectives clearly wouldn’t the best in politics queue up to make a mark?
Leading the Indian cricket team is not unlike leading the UPA. Team India is selected by a committee reporting to the BCCI, which is a collection of subedars. Team UPA too is selected by a committee and is accountable to the coalition of political subedars called UPA. As with the UPA regional pressures and vote bank politics do play a role in the world of cricket too. The inclusion of Piyush Chawla over Pragyan Ojha or the selection of Virat Kohli and exclusion of Rohit Sharma were contested and tested by conspiracy theorists. Admittedly success has afforded MSD a stronger say in who should be in his team. At least he hasn’t yet complained about the compulsions of regional blocks in team selection.
It isn’t only about lack of talent. The UPA has talent and it is not just the presence of nine former CMs in the Cabinet. Pranab Mukherjee may not have set the markets rocking with reforms but he has ensured stability in the economy. P Chidambaram has delivered in the home ministry. Kapil Sibal has shaken the education sector with his ideas, even if some are seen as radical. Exceptions only prove the rule. The list of doers is shockingly short.
The moot issue seems to be lack of empowerment, a clear set of objectives and absence of rigorous ministerial accountability. And this would be true of many state governments flailing in fiscal profligacy and political bankruptcy. It would be true of parties too. The BJP for instance is struggling to find a captain. Indeed, political parties and governments have a startling similarity with the Indian cricket teams of yesteryears. Each player was a team playing for personal glory.
This can’t sustain if India has to win. Manmohan Singh, the longest serving PM since Mrs G, has the unique opportunity to change this. A new template of objectives and accountability will deliver a lasting legacy. India needs a courageous captain
Shankkar Aiyar, an analyst and a senior journalist currently on sabbatical, specialises in the interface of politics and economics
http://expressbuzz.com/opinion/colum...ay/261380.html
Mahi:-D:smokesmirk:
in this article about MSD,found this VERY VERY VERY INTERESTING!!! :smile:Quote:
Like he has always done, he will stay away from the bowlers meeting on Friday night, saying it helps him formulate his own alternative plans, if the bowling begins to fray on the field the next day.
http://www.espncricinfo.com/icc_cric...ry/509084.html