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In queue for Dhoni!
Gayatri Jayaram (remember the song Manjakattu Mainah?) is a big fan of cricket. And, she's disappointed that the IPL isn’t happening here. “If it’s being played here, the hype and atmosphere will be excellent,” she says, ”I’ll be missing all that!”
If there’s one cricketer the lady is dying to meet, it’s Dhoni. “I’m already in queue,” she quips. Well, everybody sure is!
Kizhinjathu kizhiyathathu..... :lol2:
Dhoni's unusual double
Mahendra Singh Dhoni scored two fifties and took seven catches in the Wellington Test. Is he the first player to achieve this feat? asked Jude Franco from India
As it turns out, MS Dhoni is only the second man to achieve this particular all-round feat in a Test, scoring 52 and 56 not out and taking seven catches in the final match of the recent series against New Zealand in Wellington. The only other man to do it was South Africa's Denis Lindsay, who scored 69 and 182 and took eight catches against Australia in Johannesburg in 1966-67, to kickstart an amazing series in which he scored 606 runs and took 24 catches. Widening the net a little, there have been seven further occasions in which a player has scored 100 runs (but not necessarily two half-centuries) and taken seven catches in a Test, including a further instance by Lindsay (in 1969-70), and one by a fieldsman other than a wicketkeeper - Matthew Hayden with 41, 130 and seven catches against Sri Lanka in Galle in 2003-04. The others to achieve it include two Sri Lankans, Amal Silva and Chamara Dunusinghe, and Mark Boucher, Jeff Dujon and Ian Healy.
http://content.cricinfo.com/magazine...ry/399390.html
Tendulkar salutes Dhoni's captaincy
Cricinfo staff
April 14, 2009
Sachin Tendulkar has praised the leadership skills of MS Dhoni, who has overseen a successful six months for India after taking over as captain in all three formats.
"I'm extremely happy and delighted at the way he [Dhoni] has conducted himself," Tendulkar said. "He is a balanced guy, is always on his toes all the time. Before he was made the captain, standing in the slips I interacted with him, and [he] picked [up a] lot of things which clearly indicated that he has a sharp brain, his approach was pretty clear and not complicated."
India are fresh from their first Test series win in New Zealand in 41 years, and have also defeated Australia and England at home in the past eight months. India have an impressive record under Dhoni's leadership, winning five out of seven Tests and losing none. Dhoni also led India to their longest winning-streak in one-dayers during comprehensive series wins over England and Sri Lanka, and most notably, led them to victory in the World Twenty20 in 2007. He's captained his team in 51 ODIs, winning 31 of them.
Dhoni's record with the bat as captain is significantly better than his overall stats. In the seven Tests he's led India, he averages 60 as compared to his overall average of 37.73. His figures have been boosted by seven half-centuries, four of which came against Australia at home. He scored fifties in each innings against New Zealand in the rain-affected final Test in Wellington, where India fell just two wickets shy of wrapping up the series 2-0. The trend is similar in ODIs as well. He was India's second-highest run-getter in 2008 and averages 57.81 in 51 matches as captain, as opposed to 49.26 overall.
Another experienced player who was impressed with Dhoni's captaincy was VVS Laxman. "Dhoni is one of the best captains I have played under," he said. "He is so calm and composed. He exudes a lot of confidence. It's a great feeling to play under him."
One of Dhoni's biggest accomplishments as a leader has been forging a strong team spirit, and former captain Tendulkar said he relished playing the role of a senior member. "To players like Harbhajan Singh or Yuvraj Singh, I'm like their elder brother. I share information not just with them but also with other members of the side. It's a terrific atmosphere in the dressing room and it's not just one-way traffic," he said. "We learn from each other and if someone has some issues, there is the coach. Generally it's a great atmosphere and I enjoy being part of this side."
When asked about his decision to not be part of the national Twenty20 side, Tendulkar said he did not want to upset a winning combination. India had won the inaugural World Twenty in South Africa two years ago, but Tendulkar had not been part of that team because of fitness problems. "It's a team sport so, even if there is one weak link, it affects the whole team. I didn't want it to happen. The team went to South Africa and did well. They settled quite nicely. I don't want to disturb the combination now when they are going terrific."
Kalyan :thumbsup: Cricinfo - :clap: :clap: rediff :puke:
http://content.cricinfo.com/magazine...ry/403212.html
Quote:
Rajasthan and Chennai have prospered because they have clear lines of authority, consistent plans, and place trust in their appointed leader. Warne was not merely asked to captain his side, he was given carte blanche. Historically and temperamentally it was a smart move. Accordingly he was able to build Rajasthan by his own lights, hand-picking his assistants, sending his old pal Darren Berry around India to look under stones and bushes in search of unsung and cheap talent, inviting Jeremy Snape to give his quiet guidance, and allowing others he respected to join him in the endeavour. He chose his players, shaped his side and formulated policy. Too many cooks can spoil the broth because everyone wants to put in his own preferred spice.
Typically Warne's team has lived on its wits. He is in charge; the players look towards him for leadership, advice and strategy. It is a simple operation, and it works. Ego has been buried. By no means is it the only way for captaincy to work - only the most arrogant leaders think theirs is a blueprint. But Warne has been honest and his players know where they stand. For all his foibles, he has been Australia's lost leader.
Dhoni has been himself. His approach lies midway between Warne and Kumble. Like the Aussie, he shows faith in his players, is able to think and act on his feet, and does not panic or concern himself with appearances. Like the mighty Indian he is a warrior, unyielding, prepared to hurl himself into the fray. Plain and simple, Dhoni is able to focus his entire character on winning the contest, a task he goes about in a notably unemotional way.
While not exactly a sphinx, he does not give much away, does not react when things go awry, does not glare at blundering fieldsmen or reel at the sight of a long-hop. Instead he seems able immediately to think about the next ball. He is a constant and remarkable man, able to allocate his time and energies so that the field does not drain him, for upon departing he can switch straight into another world. Captaincy will not break him. Dhoni has exceptional clarity of thought. Knowing its leader, his team responds with equal determination, and afterwards relaxation.
In their contrasting ways Warne and Dhoni continue to cajole the best from their players. With a rare mixture of cunning, loyalty, bluff, intelligence and grit, they have carried their players along with them and formed a winning habit. By doing so they reinforce the old truisms about the supremacy of cricket captains. The good ones can make even 20-over tournaments bend to their wills.
So far, none of the others has quite reached their standard. They remain the benchmark.:smokesmirk: But then, they were chosen and empowered by owners aware of the importance of having the right man at the helm. Temporarily, anyhow, a good captain can sharpen the fangs of any team.
Quote:
http://sightscreen.rediffiland.com/b...ne-time-3.html
Glancing across quickly at an ongoing pre-game discussion on Cricinfo between Siddharth Vaidyanathan and Osman Samiuddin, I was struck by something Sid said about Dhoni’s captaincy:
I think he relies a lot on instinct. But what works for him is that he knows the game really well. He splits the game into micro events ... one ball, one over kinds .. I don't think he looks at planning for a game ... Instead he plans for a batsman at a particular time in a game
Exactly. Having gotten out of the cricket-reporting game for quite some time now, I haven’t been chatting up players and others like I used to, but even from the sidelines looking in I’d say Sid’s call is spot on.
Watch him across a series, and you begin to realize that MSD is not about large-scale plans for each individual player in the opposition – if he were, as most of the recent former captains have tended to be, you begin to spot patterns fairly quickly. With MSD, the only pattern discernible is the absence of one, and the logical explanation is that his captaincy style revolves around reading a situation, and acting accordingly.
Simple, and if you have the smarts to read the game right, hugely effective
Dhoni reminds Hayden of Waugh, Ponting
Centurion: India and Chennai Super Kings' Captain Fantastic Mahendra Singh Dhoni has made another killing. This time he seems to have floored an unlikely customer in the form of Matthew Hayden, who is playing under MS Dhoni in the IPL.
Hayden told CNN-IBN that there is no one better than him as a leader in the modern game. In fact Hayden went further comparing him to Australian legends like Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting.
"A lot has been spoken about MS's captaincy and I think he is very cool and calm and he is always ready to build a team. He is, in fact, one of the guys who loves an adventure and has an adventurous soul. And that brings the best out of the players that play under him," said Matthew Hayden.
"He reminds me a lot of both Ricky (Ponting) and Steve (Waugh). They have very similar personalities, very strong personalities. They love the team and the camaraderie of the team. For me, he has all the ingredients and I think the challenge is not so much in his leadership but within the leadership of the BCCI," he added.
http://cricketnext.in.com/news/exclu.../41036-14.html
proxy Anjaasingam is trying to sideline the real anjaa singam..
anban, echuplain?
not working.Quote:
Originally Posted by Anban
Edhir paarthaen - looks like Dhoni is afraid that Sehwag might outshine him as a batsman and then given the fickle Indian selectorial mind, it is a threat to him - even though Dhoni is a better captain than Sehwag, the way things work in India, if Sehwag continues to fire and Dhoni fails continuously as batsman, calls will be out for ousting Dhoni as captain. I think Dhoni is showing signs of self-preservation here - idhukku dhaan Ganguly-ai pottu kolai veriya thakki irukkanga India-la. Ivaru escape aagaraarunnu paarkalam...
:lol:
sourav, read the title..
maramvetti is trying to sideline viru by pushing for rohit sharma as an opener..
He is dropping viru at the slightest hint of lack of form whereas Praveen Kumars, RP Singhs, Rainas etc get a long rope. Even Yuvraj. Yuvraj mela avlo nambikkai Dhonikku - thannai outshine paNNa maattannu :-)
http://dl002.zshare.net/stream/00ab0...over16.wmv.flv
see this video at about 1:15 or so - sehwag speaking so happily and also abt they (the team) deciding to send rohit up the order and how he is playing well etc etc. this was during the match v pak.
http://www.rediff.com/cricket/report...dian-media.htm
Quote:
Rubbishing all talk of a rift between himself and Virender Sehwag, India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Friday came out with his entire squad, including support staff, for the pre-match press conference in Nottingham ahead of the team's World T20 opener against Bangladesh, and lashed out at a "false and irresponsible" Indian media.
Dhoni said: "This message is for the people of India and Indian cricket fans from worldwide who care for the whole team. That's why we are all here.
"As we prepare for the T20 World Cup, we are a unified team. The team spirit is as good as it has ever been, with each individual supporting each other both on and off the field.
"Recent reports in the Indian media of a rift between myself and Sehwag amounts to nothing but false and irresponsible media.
"Our fans and supporters can take confidence from the wonderful unity that continues to exist in the team.
"We thank our fans for this continued support and look forward to entertaining you during this tournament which we go into well-prepared, unified as Team India and confident.
"Thank-you."
Finished, Dhoni and the entire squad stormed out of the conference, leaving the Indian media miffed.
The media immediately lodged a complaint with the ICC's Communications Officer Sami-ul-Hasan, saying that since it is an ICC event it is mandatory for the captain or a team member to address the media ahead of a match.
Hassan agreed, saying ICC rules are certainly in place, but it has no control over how teams conduct their briefing.
Dhoni takes strike
"This message is for the people of India and Indian cricket fans from worldwide who care for the whole team. That's why we are all here.
"As we prepare for the T20 World Cup, we are a unified team. The team spirit is as good as it has ever been, with each individual supporting each other both on and off the field.
"Recent reports in the Indian media of a rift between myself and Sehwag amounts to nothing but false and irresponsible media.
"Our fans and supporters can take confidence from the wonderful unity that continues to exist in the team.
"We thank our fans for this continued support and look forward to entertaining you during this tournament which we go into well-prepared, unified as Team India and confident.
"Thank-you."
Here's the report.
The line I found most interesting?
Finished, Dhoni and the entire squad stormed out of the conference, leaving the Indian media miffed.
Question for the 'Indian media': just why were you miffed?
Could it be that for once, you are finding a captain who won't play your games? A captain who, what is more, will confront issues head on when they arise or, more accurately, when you fabricate them out of whole cloth [As I had indicated earlier in the day, here]?
One of the reasons problems proliferated earlier is that when sections of the media fabricated stories of rifts within the team, the captain of the time either did not address them head on, or if he did, did so in the sort of wishy washy fashion that carried no conviction.
This facet of Dhoni is, even more than his captaincy, the reason I like him -- he has the cojones to stop nonsense before it can spread, and doesn't care how blunt he has to be to get the message across.
PostScript: On phone just now from England, my Rediff colleague Harish Kotian informed us that as Dhoni led his team out of the press conference, he tossed a stack of printed copies of his statement at the reporters and said, here, otherwise you will misquote me on this as well [Nahin toh tum log isko bhi ulta likhega]. :lol:
What to say except, Go, MS! :smokesmirk:
http://www.prempanicker.com/index.ph..._takes_strike/
Actions speak louder than words. Dhoni is afraid of Viru and drops him at the slightest chance - he did it in Australia Tri Series in Australia. he is doing it now.
Thirappadam: Anjali
Scene: Tarun and another boy uruNdu puRandu fighting...Charlie, the constable comes there. Immediately, the boys put hands on each other shoulder
Charlie: Enna inge saNdai?
Tarun to the boy he was purandu purandu fighting just a minute ago: saNdaiyam, illaiye. naan parkaliye. nee parthe? yaarachum paarthengalappa
Charlie goes back satisfied that there was no saNdai. But saNdai was there, wasnt it? we all know, dont we?
Dhoni's sakkupokkus dont wash with me
plum - try surf excel or rin powder, might wash :P
these jokers at star news and toilet paper deserves such treatment and am so happy someone is giving it the rite way back at them :smokesmirk:
DH, adhu ennamo uNmai dhaan. But Dhoni is not as innocent and honest as he portrays himself. Oru report solludhu - he wanted to go into this tournament as pure batsman-am. Apdi ellam vandhirundha ivarai dhaan modhalla drop pannanum teamlerundhu. Nichayama paNNi irukka matttar. Apram edhukku uthaman maadhiri over-scene?
plum, we all take only 'what we want' from reports, dont we? :P he doesnt want to keep wkts thts it, he did that in prev WC and in IPL and even in this T20 WC. he wanted a spare wk ambuttu dhaan - thamizhan DK kku kural kuduthurukkaan avana poi kura sollikittu.... :P
i dont seriously give a heck on whether he is honest/innocent blah blah - he backs his team/players and they back him - results show that! and millions of ppl know that too :wink: i dont want anything more from a national captain, and as it is after this blast we wud hear more such 'news reports' from all our media.
DH, yah, he is deservingly national captain. Adhula sandhegame illai. Nobody else can get results like him. But konjam over-a innocent build up kodukkarainga. Adhu remba over.
But if he is only batsman, then he will find it difficult to be in the team as a pure batsman in the long run. Batting talent oorellam kotti kedakku India-la. Unless he can get out of his kaaduvetti phase, he is not good enough to be in the team as a pure batsman. Yes, Viru is out of form now but you tell me, who deserves to be in the team as pure batsman more?
adhennanga innocent build up?! he himself told the media abt using robin uthappa for sledging and everyone knows he gives it back to rival skippers and he is right next to Dada in those kinda things. do u mean innocent as in no politics?! or ur fav above andhra (hindi speaking) bias? appadinna :no-shake-hands: :end-of-argument: :P
as for playing as a pure batsman - he is a wk, enna overnight keeping vuttu batsman aaga porennu solvaana :lol: edho oruthan ennamo ezhudharadhellam nambareenga. and first of all i dont even understand this comparison of MS with Viru :? oruthar opener/role of dismantling opp bowlers/part time bowler - innoruthar wicket keeper - enna comparison idhu, Run vs Ayan madhiri :lol:
also though i agree on ur comments on his batting in T20's and not being the MS he is capable, in ODIs he has done more than reasonably well (is still ranked #1 too). I have a feel that this T20 WC is gonna see the MS of the old :D
DH, apdi avan old MS-a vandha sandhosham dhaan. Romba thadavaran ippollam or kadu vettaran. Confidence konjam down aana maadhir irukku...
Innocence as in no-politics. Bayangara politician ivan. Self-Preservation runs high in him. Eppo vuttu eppo pidikkaNumngaradhula killadi. SL Test tour ennama skip panninan - after attending 'very important' Bangaldesh tri-series :-)
mm i dont think its the case of confidence - he takes the approach of getting to the par score first and then aiming at a higher target rather than aiming high and not even getting to par! thts been his game plan right from last T20 WC itself
test tour skip - it was the same protest against playing more tests (or as u incur - scared of playing mendis, ironically he and the team under him (discount yuvi) were the successful lot there). yes i do accept he is street smart - avan gandhi nu inga yaarum sollalaye! adhukkaaaga unga adjectives ellaam 10 km dissance la kooda nerunga vida maatom :P
"mm i dont think its the case of confidence - he takes the approach of getting to the par score first and then aiming at a higher target rather than aiming high and not even getting to par! thts been his game plan right from last T20 WC itself"
idhaiye Sourav Ganguly paNNa selfishness, killing others' careeers to protect his career, screwing Indias chances to protect his strike rate and average adhu idhunu indha "youngsters should lead" brigade kitterundhu varadhungareenga?
Clearly, the role of consolidator is something that Dhoni is not needed for. Adhukku dhaan gambhir irukkan, If sehwag gets out and both Gambhir and Dhoni consolidate, apram edhukku Rohit Sharma, Raina ellam team-la?
I'd be disappointed if just to protect himself - late orderla vandha avanala munna maadhiri big hittting paNNa mudiyala adhukku munnadi varaan - he screws India's chances.
I hope his poor tactics get expose - thotha dhaan nammaLungalukku budhi varum. Luckily Raina Sharma ellaam match winning formla irukkanga adhanala India thokkadhu
so u do accept 2 things:Quote:
Originally Posted by Plum
1. its just a kids' fight :lol2:
2. they will later join hands for a casue (Anjali=T20 WC) :lol2:
btw, the other boy in that scene is none other than directror vishnuvardhan :)
DH, i'm really happy......the desperation levels of anti-MS people in media and general public have hit a new low......they want somehow Dhoni to be maligned and gone......lets see - who wins....hope my signature is true.....
Oru analogy sonna adha extrapolate paNNi match panna vendiyadhu. Vutta andha analogyla vara tarunku 2.d yrs la saaga pora thangai irundha, dhonikkum irukkandreengalanu ketpaaru pola irukku.
;evil:
Analogy is limited to the point which is being compared - pooppola sirikkaran kozhandhai-nu sonna, avanukku hymen irukkannu ketka koodadhu.
plum is right
dhoni is becoming a weak link in batting line up
and he is the reason for it...he is stoppng the momentum of the innings by coming in important one down and two down positions
he is not as good a batsman as raina or yuvi...and not being attacking batsman as well.
he finds no place i batting line up with yusuf pathan filling the slot down the line up.
he should start hitting the ball hard
fair enuf - but gimme a "good" wicketkeeper who can replace annan.......i mean wicketkeepers not goalkeepers like parthiv or karthikuQuote:
Originally Posted by Vivasaayi
Maddy,
Karthik is certainly a better keeper than Dhoni. Dhoni is the best captain India have at present. That's why he is in the team now.
Indha thread thirumbavum back to square 1 varama irrundha seri thaan. :lol2:Quote:
Originally Posted by littlemaster1982
SS,
Puriyalai :confused2: Munnadi idhai patthi diso nadandhudha?
:shock: :handshake: :walkoff:Quote:
Originally Posted by littlemaster1982
Syed Kirmani openly criticised Dhoni saying that he lacks basics as a wicket keeper. Eppadiyum neenga otthukka poradhilla :)
This is the assesment of Taylor based on promise as youngsters. So, Karthik was ahead of Dhoni a few years back as a keeperQuote:
Originally Posted by bob Taylor
But in my opinion, the truth is that Karthik has regressed as a keeper - he has flashes of brilliance, but equal amount of brittleness. So, he'll come up with the odd flash-looking stumping but equally fail to collect a simple straight ball.
Also, he has been wearing long gloves in the last couple of years and there is a void portion of the gloves strutting out of his fingers. Part of his problem could be that he drops catches because of balls hitting this hollow part of the gloves. I dont know why he is wearing outsized gloves. To help collect the ball better and to avoid byes? If so, he is basically saving on the pennies, and losing out in pounds. Sad, really sad.
IMO and viewing, no. of misses of karthik >> no. of misses by Dhoni........Quote:
Originally Posted by littlemaster1982
Maddy, avLo simplistic-a dismiss paNNa mudiyadhu. I agree Karthik as he now isnt a better keeper than Dhoni. But basic technique of Karthi is better than Dhoni thambi's. Karthik gets behind the ball - Dhoni doesnt. Dhoni is relatively safe but is unlikely to make the difficult stumpings - but he'll rarely miss teh easy stumpings. This is from a purist's POV. But then practically, unless you have a bowler of the calibre of Murali or Kumble or Warne, you dont need to worry about technique behind the wickets as much as the 'safety' factor.
But if you look at the package Dhoni's relatively safer keeping PLUS explosive batting PLUS Captaincy makes him a way better package than Karthik even if Karthik lives up to his full wicket keeping potential
Where the problem comes is when Dhoni fails to live up to his batting potential...then things even out. This is applicable only if Karthik lives up to his full potential in keeping and corrects the silly technical mistakes - he can start with discarding the oversized gloves - with his basics being strong, he can easily outshine Dhoni as a pure keeper with some effort...
IMO he never has.....ecent IPL too, annan handled murali, jakati pretty well and didnt miss any but karthik was squandering quite a few......ex: his missed catch of nehra.....Quote:
Originally Posted by Plum
let me put u - plum as selector.....forget their people management skills - will u pick dhoni or karthik as a keeper,batsman and keeping in mind their attitude towards game?
I am the Dhoni ya!!Quote:
Originally Posted by MADDY