Rahul Dravids decision to declare the Indian innings with Sachin Tendulkar just four short of his double century was a senseless one. Certainly this incident showed lack of communication between the players and the captain. During the drinks interval Dravid certainly could have sent the message to Tendulkar to complete his double century in 2/3 overs so that he could go for declaration thereafter but Dravid chose to declare in a haste, leaving Sachin shocked. Certainly this wasnt the case where we were facing shortage of time to bowl the opposition out in the second innings. It was a matter of just about five minutes. Therefore terms like "team before self", "individual records are not important than teams objective" does not fit in this scenario. People may point out some past instances where captains of Australia, England, etc have declared the innings when their batsmen were in their nineties like the cases of Alec Stewart, Rodney Marsh, etc but in those cases time was a crucial factor whereas in this case it was not. On a lighter note Dravid should gift his six runs he had scored to Sachin so that his double century is complete :)
i think it was a rather courageous decision taken by Captain Dravid. we all know about sachin and his problem with the nervous nineties.... it's only on the last session of the last day that India will realise the importance of those precious minutes. I think tendulkar had enough time in the world...(2 and a half sessions ) to get from his overnight score to 200. ( he scored a mere 59 from 30 overs bowled between lunch and tea )
Dravid has clearly demonstrated his courage and team-before-man attitude. he has also exhibited that not only does the team come before himself.... it comes before everyone else! and if India has to become THE no.1 team, this is the attitude, and Dravid is the leader we need. - salil
ANYTHING BUT........!!!! RE:Bravo , Captain Dravid !!!!
by Subho Chakraborty on Mar 31, 2004 09:16 PM
NO!!!
We certainly dont need dravid's services as a "leader" - his super slow batting services ( 30 of 80 balls in the 3rd ODI in pakistan) are frustrating and damaging enough.
India is very likely to win the test match with 2 full SESSIONS to spare....so dravid's decision not to wait for 2 more overs (1/15th of a session), to let Sachin get what would be only the third consecutive double hundred in the history of test cricket, can never be understood, even less condoned.The sooner Ganguly comes back to lead the team the better!!!!
"India's total 675 for the loss off five wickets is huge but they realise that to win they need to take 20 Pakistan wickets. On a pitch as placid as this, they need all the time they can possibly get."
I'm sorry I can't agree with you on that one. If India needs 286 overs to take 20 Pakistan wickets, you're looking at a score of at least 850 runs (for the 2 innings put together) - assuming an average of 270 runs per day which is perhaps slightly below par for the Multan wicket. So where does the extra 175 runs come from ???
The declaration in my opinion was too hasty. They should have scored at least another 100 runs more by close of play today, and facing 575 to avoid a followon would have made the pressure even more than the pressure of having to bat 1 hour this evening.
it is said they had gone to win matches and the hearts...of pakistan..but i think they forget that a billion indian heart is also saying something..they forgt them for pakis.. had rahul dravid and gaguly allowed sachin made his double hundred...indians too would hve been overjoyed..it was his second consecutive double hundred..his 4th in all..unbeaten...and dat too againist pakis..wat a better joy 4 indians to see their hero making another double againist pakis..and team tally showing one triple and another double..its gud sehwag made triple...excellent...but they all know for us sachin tendulkar is only one..and a special one..simply the best 2 watch.. they had done a blunder.we always respected rahul after sachin in team..but after today..he played with feelings of billion of us..rahul u let us down..and we wont forget that easily..u made us cry..a five min more batting wouldnt hve done any wrong 4 indian..and it is evident no 1 got out..for whole of india it was came as a biggest shock that our sachin was not paid for his services...if india wins who will say sachin sacrificed his personal milestone for india..but every 1 will say sehwag triple u made u cry...
Please stop singing praises of Sahwag or anyone just because they did well in one match. Praise the team. it's a tem effort. The same people/columnist who are worshipping him today will ask for his blood if he didn't do well in some high profile match. Keep cool and don't make super humans out of players.
I think it is a good decision to declare inn at 675, and it is very bad of Tendulkar to say in press conference that he is taken by surprise, I think team management should punish him for playng for himself and not for team, after tea India played around 12 overs and he has hit only 2 fours in 36 balls, on the other hand Yuyraj who was new to crease hit 51 Runs in 40 balls.
In Sydney test also he did the same in second inn when Dravid taking all chances and scoring quickly and Tendulkar who is better hiter than him just taking singles.
Finally Rahul Dravid proved that his feet too are made of clay. This refers to the pre-mature declaration of the Indian Inning at Multan on 29/03/04 not allowing Sachin Tendulkar to join the elite club of the makers of double ton in subsequent tests as Ricky Ponting had done against India. Earlier Sourav Ganguly had shown the similar kind of immaturity by pushing Sachin at number 4 in One dayers. At no point of time in the 100+ years of history of Cricket, the inning had been declared at the point when some-one is on the threshold of such kind of record. Only in 1978 Indian inning against West-Indies was declared when Gavaskar was on 182 with 107 in first inning. But at that time he himself was the captain. Don Bradman was deprived of the triple hundred as he was forced to remain without partner on 299 against South Africa. But such an unusual incident has occurred, I think, for the first inning. What was the logic of not allowing Sachin one more over? Was it denying Sachin from joining Rahul Dravid as the maker of the most number of double century for India. But I am sorry to say that the 2 double-tons Rahul got in India are only because of the helping hand of umpires. Ask Heith
It was unsportsmalike for Dravid to Declare the innings inspite of having Tendulkar on 194*. The Declaration could have waited for an over more as India still would have remained with 15 overs to have a go at the Pakistanis. Tendulkar played a subdued innings,quite unlike he does, in the interest of the team. The team should have waited for one more over for the master blaster to complete his much deserved double ton. This decision will not go down well in the minds of millions of fans of Tendulkar.
i dont understand sir, wat type of maturity u observe,when u dont allow a batsmen to reach another milestone, keep in mind if he would have completed the ton it wud have been his consecutive dlouble ton. v all were sitting just 2 watch tendulkars double ton, and the decission really disappointed everyone of us
Dear all, we had a wonderful cricket at pakistan against pak.These india's show is not prepared by overnight.Most of us know the sachin from 1989 when he debut against mighty pakistan.Ofcourse,very rarely he hits double ton that too against pakistan.When he closes to that target he should have been allowed to cross which is not the good part in this scenario. He is just 6 runs short of 200,and if the match is declared means ,i really cannot imagine what sachin might have felt. If this declaration is happened to win the match ,then its fine.
