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India waited for long for a leader like Dhoni: Bichel
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New Delhi: An admirer of Mahendra Singh Dhoni's captaincy, former Australian pacer Andy Bichel says India needed a leader like him for a very long time as he has the ability to get consistent performances from his teammates.
Bichel worked with Dhoni during his stint as a bowling coach with Chennai Super Kings and became an admirer of his man-management skills.
"He's (Dhoni) the kind of captain who leads from the front. I think he's the captain which Indian cricket needed for a long time. And now that they've got the guidance and skill, they are producing good performances week in and week out," he told PTI in an interview.
"My feel about captaincy is that it is about the guys that are underneath you and whether they can do their roles. I see nearly everyone in the Indian team at the moment performing, which makes the captain's job very very easy," said Bichel, who is currently coaching the Papua New Guinea national team.
Bichel feels the kind of cricket the Indian team is playing currently, it deserves to rule the world.
"The Indian cricket team is doing a lot of things right at the moment and it is no surprise that they are close to number one in all three forms (of the game)," he said.
The 40-year-old Queenslander also feels that the Indian Cricket Board (BCCI) has played a significant role in the team's present success.
"The Indian cricket officials have exposed the game to country areas as well which has given them a catchment of more players which is a great thing for Indian cricket at the moment," said Bichel.
"You look at (Ishant) Sharma. He has been in and out and now he is bowling in the West Indies and he is bowling quick and dominating the West Indies team at the moment."
Bichel, who took 58 wickets in 19 Tests and 78 scalps in 67 ODIs, was of the view that world cricket currently lacks quality batsmen due to the advent of the Twenty20 version.
"I think in recent times there has been a big influence on batting and bowling. Twenty20 has changed the psyche of the game," he said.
"If you go back 20 years there was a mentality where people used to ask 'do you bat or do you bowl?' But that has changed very quickly in a short space of time. Players are now trying to have a bite of both cherries as well as fielding.
"Now if you are good in all of those areas you are of more value to a Twenty20 side and that's what's dominating cricket in recent times," he added.
The ICC's decision to restrict the number of teams to 10 from the 2019 World Cup also did not go down well with Bichel.
"I'm not too sure if it's a step in the right direction. I think there should be a qualifying stage that teams go through. I think for the Twenty20 I really like how they have gone about it, they've made it really big and it gives teams like us something to strive for. If you want to improve you need opportunities to play at higher standard," Bichel said.
"With 50 over cricket I think the issue is that the World Cup seems to take a long time to get over and it seems to keep getting longer and longer.
"But some of those fringe teams have invested a lot of money in recent times to go forward and without an opportunity where do they go?" Bichel, who had played a major role in Australia's 2003 World Cup triumph, questioned.
Asked about the Papua New Guinea team, Bichel said the young associate nation is moving in the right direction and with more international exposure they will only get better.
"They are moving forward. Two years ago when I first came here there were no facilities and when you look around today they have facilities that they can improve (their performance) on," he said.
"I think the taste they got at the last tournament against the UAE and Namibia, who have had a fair bit of international experience, has set a bit of a benchmark.
"Those teams ranked about 15 to 18 are pretty even. So it gives us real insight into where we have to get to. I think these guys are ready for that. They have played a lot of cricket over the last 12 months, and now the more they play and the better standard they play, they can only improve," he added.
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Happy Birthday MS Dhoni. Health is most important and take care of it.
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Happy B'day Dhoni. It's time for you to develop team for next generation.
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MSD's b'day makes fans go ga-ga
If you did not catch the buzz surrounding Mahendra Singh Dhoni's birthday on Thursday, then you clearly are not as great a cricket fan as you claim to be. Captain Courageous turned the city's favourite birthday boy as fans and followers celebrated the day in style, wishing their hero luck and happiness.
While some cut cakes to mark MSD's 30th birthday, others sent wishes to him on various social networking sites.
Dugri resident Manvinder Singh said he celebrated the day with his cricket buddies. ''I've also reserved a table for dinner with family,'' he added. Manvinder's room speaks of his adoration for Dhoni ' posters are pasted on walls, with another one being bought just on the captain's 30th birthday.
Rahul Khanna of Haibowal said he ordered a special cake for the occasion. ''The baker made Dhoni's face on the cake,'' he smiled. Rahul loves Dhoni's helicopter shot and watches him closely to learn his style, especially his cool temperament.
Dhoni has another ardent fan in Dilpreet Singh of Model Town Extension. ''His presence of mind is notable,'' he said.
Wanting to send his best wishes to the cricketer, Dilpreet would donate money to the needy. ''I will ask them to bless Dhoni,'' said the youngster.
Former Ranji player Amrik Singh Nagra, a resident of Himmat Singh Nagar, said MSD was keeping the sport alive by motivating youngsters with his leadership. ''I threw a party in the cricket ground for his fans,'' he smiled.
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print out edutthu onnaa sertthu paakkanumaa?
ennayaa velayaattu idhu?
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MS Dhoni figures reflect India's great shape ahead of England tour
Following a series win in the Caribbean, India are back to full strength and little is likely to intimidate them in England
MS Dhoni's captaincy of India has been criticised, but his figures tell a different story. Photograph: Philip Brown/Reuters
After 15 wins and only three defeats in the 27 Tests that MS Dhoni has captained India, his win-loss ratio is superior to that of Steve Waugh (41-9) and Mike Brearley (18-4). The win percentage – 55.55 – puts in the shade Viv Richards, 54%, and Clive Lloyd, 48.64%. That's not to say that Dhoni belongs in such illustrious company yet. But those numbers put into perspective irate comments on social-networking platforms – "gutless wimp" being one description of him – in the aftermath of India's 1-0 series win in the Caribbean.
India won comfortably at Sabina Park, a former theatre of nightmares, would have triumphed in Barbados but for lots of rain and an obdurate 73 from Darren Bravo, and were denied victory in Dominica only by two contrasting centuries from Kirk Edwards, on debut, and Shivnarine Chanderpaul.
On England's last trip to the Caribbean two years ago, they lost 1-0, with Jerome Taylor steamrollering them in Jamaica. But while some disappointment over the deceptive scoreline – 2-0 would have been a fairer reflection of the balance of power over the three Tests – is natural, the criticisms say more about the new fans' radio phone-in mentality than they do about Dhoni.
Four years ago, it was Rahul Dravid who was excoriated for not chasing victory at The Oval, with India 1-0 up in the series against England. The hysteria abated then only after Michael Vaughan came in for his press conference and admitted that he would have done the same thing.
In Dominica, India were left to chase 180 in 47 overs on a pitch that had gotten so slow it resembled a comatose tortoise by the end. Chanderpaul and Fidel Edwards defied India for 37 overs in the morning to transform likely defeat into possible draw.
Had Dhoni refused the dangled carrot with a full-strength side some of the vitriol would have been justified. But India played this tour without Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir and Sachin Tendulkar, three of the cornerstones of their steady progress to No1. Their replacements failed to stake any claim in West Indies. Prior to his 45 on the final afternoon, Murali Vijay had managed 27 in five innings. Virat Kohli's tally was 76. Neither can complain about not being in the squad for England.
One man who is, thanks largely to Sehwag missing at least the first fortnight of the England tour, is Abhinav Mukund. The 21-year-old from Tamil Nadu has a stellar domestic record – a century every three matches – and gritty innings of 48 and 62 edged him ahead of Vijay in the pecking order.
West Indies may not have been able to call on Taylor, and Kemar Roach was never used, but Edwards bowled with genuine pace and hostility for his 19 wickets in the series. At the other end, Darren Sammy and Ravi Rampaul shouldered a heavy workload while coming up with the odd telling spell. Devendra Bishoo took 12 wickets to suggest that he'll be around for a good few years yet.
Dhoni could have been looking at a 3-0 scoreline had Zaheer Khan travelled to the Caribbean. In his absence though, Ishant Sharma rediscovered some of the verve that made him one of the game's most exciting prospects three years ago. His 22 wickets cost just 16 apiece and he was once again thudding the ball into the bat splice and angling it in to the right-handers.
Praveen Kumar, who took 12 wickets in his debut series, will also come into the equation with his controlled swing bowling should England opt for a green top at some point over the four-Test series. With Sreesanth, extremely impressive at times in the drawn series in South Africa, also back in the fray, India are not short of seam options.
Chris Tremlett has already called for bouncy, bowler-friendly surfaces to rattle the Indian cage. It's a scenario that won't intimidate a full-strength Indian top order. Each of India's most feted overseas wins – The Wanderers (2006), Trent Bridge (2007), Perth (2008) and Durban (2010) – have come on surfaces that were supposed to favour the home side. On a juiced-up pitch, the more skilled batting line-up invariably wins. India's top six back themselves to be as good as anyone they come up against.
Duncan Fletcher's first tour in charge saw them successful in every form of the game. Afterwards, the coach bristled at suggestions that India had somehow failed by not going for the target in Dominica. "I think we made a statement," he said. "We came here with five top players missing. We've come here with a young side and we have won 1-0.
"At the end of the day we would have liked to have won 4-1 in the ODIs [it finished 3-2, with West Indies winning two dead rubbers] and 2-0 in the Tests. And that could have happened in Barbados. With another half hour, if the bad light hadn't come in, I think we could have won it. That's making a statement for a team missing its top players."
It could have been Gary Kirsten saying that. The South African who went home after April's World Cup win was adored by the players because of his eagerness to shield them from over-the-top criticism. He handed over the reins to a man many see as his coaching mentor, and the message emanating from the camp is clear. There will be no rocking the boat, no matter what the keyboard warriors think.
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Dhoni's WC Final bat has been sold in an auction in London for 100,000 pounds.
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Lucky captain Dhoni admits he cannot enjoy playing for India
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All the fuss on the way to the first Test match has been about one Indian cricketer. Sachin Tendulkar, who has achieved a veneration usually reserved for gods, stands improbably on the cusp of making his 100th international hundred.
It has been natural to talk about him, and anybody (which is everybody) who has been asked, has been glad to the point of desperation to praise his unparalleled contribution to a sport he has graced for 20 years. But another Indian cricketer in this series is assuming, if he has not already done so, a significance every bit as great.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni is the captain of India. On his watch, they have become the world's top side in the ICC ratings and they also won the World Cup. When he led Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League, they won it. This boy has something. To the naked eye there is nothing especially prepossessing about Dhoni's captaincy, no cute tactical tricks, no apparent psychological masterstrokes.
But there is no doubt that this is his team. India were first dragged into modern cricket by Sourav Ganguly, whose hauteur and conviction were boundless. Dhoni's leadership is defined by tranquillity which never appears to be disturbed despite the constant attentions of a billion people.
Two months ago, Dhoni pulled off an astonishing coup in the World Cup final. He had been in moderate nick throughout the tournament, but his calm demeanour had ensured that India progressed to the final without undue alarm. But it was beginning to look bad for them against Sri Lanka when they lost their third wicket. To general surprise, Dhoni promoted himself in the order, judged his innings perfectly, finished it with a six, scored 91 not out from 79 balls and India had won the World Cup for the first time in 28 years. That was leadership all right.
Dhoni has a neat trick in press briefings where his opinion is sought on everything and he gives one on virtually nothing while speaking at length with considerable charm. He attempted superficially to explain the elements of his captaincy yesterday on the eve of the series in which India may lose their Test ranking to England.
"The first thing is to have a good side," he said. "Then, trying to keep it simple is very important especially when you have the expectation of 1.2 billion people. What we really emphasise is enjoying the game. Cricket is a sport, you're supposed to enjoy it, which more often than not being part of the Indian team you're not really able to do.
"The hype that is around cricket, the amount of people that watch cricket, the amount of opinions that float around, I try to set the right expectation level. When we turn up on the field we're expected to win each and every game which we know is not possible."
And there you had it, the secrets of MS Dhoni. It is common for folk today, usually on television talent or reality shows, to talk of their journey. Dhoni has had a remarkable journey from the Indian railways. When India reached the World Cup final in 2003, he was a ticket clerk on a station near his home in Ranchi, in north-east India, some 250 miles from Calcutta.
Greg Chappell, one of India's less-successful coaches, first spotted his leadership potential (and that really is it – he is a leader). The cricket skills are high but rudimentary. There is no grace about his method; it simply gets the job done. He never expected to be at Lord's or anywhere else playing international cricket. He was asked what he thought about the opinion that he was a lucky captain.
"In 1999 I first played under-19 state cricket," he said. "If somebody had told me I would be playing with Sachin I would have told them that's a lie, it won't happen. I never thought I would play for India, I never thought I would share a dressing room with Sachin Tendulkar or some of the other legends, from Anil Kumble, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman. It's an honour. I feel if the team is winning it doesn't matter if we are a good side or the fact that the captain is lucky or the player is lucky, if we're winning I don't mind."
Tendulkar is one thing, by the end of the series England may have rediscovered that Dhoni is quite another.
