Congrats to Team Indian: Mahi and his Boys. Team India is Fast Proving to be Top Contendes for the World Crown.
I Belive and Live in what I see. I haven't seen the Don bat But I have grown up watching Sachin and Ardently following him since 1990. I think Sachin is even greater than the Don the reason is very simple: The Don played on only 6-8 venues all throughout his career against no more than 2-3 teams at the most. IN such a situation you end up knowing the grounds and players like the Back of Your hand. Also there was total lack of Tricks and Techniques on the part of the Fielders and Bowlers to Outdo the Batsman there were no great Spinners too.
Sachin has played on more than 80 odd venues across continents in no less than 12-13 countries. He has played against Test playing and Non test Playing nations numbering almost 15. He has played in an era of Video Analysis, Intense Media Scrutiny and Fickle Public Perception and the expectations of almost 2 Billion peoople across the Globe.
Re: Re: Sachin is the Greatest !!!
by satya on Apr 11, 2009 10:04 AM
If batting was so easy in bradman days then why didnt his contemporaries score more heavily...think twice
The prestigious Wisden Cricketers' Almanac named Mahendra Singh Dhoni as skipper of a Dream Test XI that includes Indians Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, Harbhajan Singh and Zaheer Khan. Berry said that Mahendra Singh Dhoni was the "unanimous choice as wicketkeeper and No. 7." "He won the votes of Bishop and Shastri as captain. Smith, however, gave his vote as captain to Graeme Smith who led South Africa to victory over Australia in Australia sealed the deal," Berry said. "Bishop selected him because of his charisma, which seems to permeate the Indian dressing-room and bring the best out of his team. The former West Indian pacer also noted that India lost in Sri Lanka when Dhoni sat out the series.
Re: Re: Captain of captains.....
by shammi shammi on Apr 09, 2009 10:45 AM
first time ind have won both odi & test series outside subconinent...........
Re: Re: Re: Captain of captains.....
by Anurag Rathore on Apr 09, 2009 10:48 AM
I hope selectors will realize their mistakes and bring back Sreesanth, RP Singh and R.Uthappa in place of D.Karthik, Balaji, D.Kulkarni.
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Captain of captains.....
by Anurag Rathore on Apr 09, 2009 10:56 AM
For test purpose. He utilize the seaming conditions so well like in last SA tour and have avg. speed of 134kph which is necessary to get success in test matches.
Re: Re: Re: Re: Captain of captains.....
by Anurag Rathore on Apr 09, 2009 10:49 AM
People didn't accept it because of poor performance of past indian teams. But I predicted on the basis of current performance of both teams.
Why do we need to blame but yes it was due to Dhoni's smartness that India messed up a sure shot win. One just hopes that this experience is cashed on in the future and India brings home more glory. And Dhoni is smart enough to understand so. "JAI HO"
It is easy to comment on a decision afeter the match is over. If Ishant Sharma held that easy catch at short square leg of O'Brein the match would have ben over in a few seconds with last player in. It is not the weather but the lathargic display of fielding which cost India a deserving victory
Dhoni'sblunder was bigger than Dravid and Kumble's. Dravid's decision was perfectly acceptable as it was a practice not to enforce follow on, bat quickly and then set a target, which was practiced even by australians. He still gave 4 sessions to England and could not win which itself vindicates dravid's position. In other words he did not spoil winning chances much. It was England who batted well and saved the test. Perhaps due to world cup debacle people were finding fault with everything with dravid and hence there was backlash after failing to win the test. Kumble's decision was a small mistake, but then if one thinks that with only 2 sessions remaining chances of winning is less and instead use that time to get some batting practice to karthik who was being picked to australia, then it can be pardoned. Also it was because of his grreat bowling and collapse of pak made it look like a blunder, again we had unexpected rain. But here we had a lead which in history of cricket no team chased, we still had a chance increase that lead in 3rd day itself to further 30-40 runs without taking light, and there was near 100% chance of win, with only rain as the obstacle which was forecasted, dhoni did not have any business to bat on 4th morning other than his personal records and he was doing that at the cost of a Indian win. If anyway test was heading to a draw then it was acceptable.
Re: Dhoni's blunder
by raj tanuja on Apr 09, 2009 10:57 AM
try to find positive things always janardhana... dont waste energy by making criticisms..... if he declared early and the result was otherwise.... u people will start commenting otherwise... so appreciate the new indian team and their marvellous captain!!!
Re: Re: Dhoni's blunder
by Janardhana on Apr 09, 2009 06:11 PM
You don't understand that there was a great opportunity for a 2-0 win which would have taken us closer to No. 1. and yet we lost it because of Dhoni. As far as away wins are considered, we have already won against Windies and England under Rahul and Squared against No. 1 team Australia under Sourav which were bigger achievements than 1-0 victory against Lowly rated and ICL depleted Newzeland. When you have a opportunity for a bigger achivement wasting it also a mistake. We may not get such opportunities in future against tougher opponents.
Re: Dhoni's blunder
by Vasan on Apr 09, 2009 09:38 AM
Personal Records!!, 6 out of 7 win insted of 5 or 7 matches is not better than a 50 in one innings??. what you will say, If there is no rain and 500 runs target and nz take 250 for 2 on day 4.(a slow stedy batting can achive this small total in 90 overs) with ryder,tayler, vetory, macllum left to play on day 5 !!!
Re: Re: Dhoni's blunder
by Janardhana on Apr 09, 2009 06:07 PM
Newzeland chasing 500 plus which no team in the history of cricket chased including Australia and windies in their prime!! And that too it was not 500 but 530 plus another 40 runs if bad light was not accepted, get the numbers correct, 570 is far far bigger than 500. In that case why do you cosider 600 is safe. He should have played till 700 lead and got a century also.
Like most i am a fan of Dhoni and i thought he is different from all earler captains, he would focus more on the test match win rather than just a series win...but that was not meant to be
Considering rain was forecasted, we really should have declared when we had about 500 on the board on the 3rd day itself, there was no way kiwis would have chased this total...
In the history of test cricket no team has chased more than 450 and a total in excess of 400 has been chased only 3 times.
We are talking about 1800 tests !!!
Also consider this we are potentially a top team and kiwis are at the bottom.
If a weakest team can chase somethign which no one in the last century has, then the weak team (kiwis) really deserve to win and we dont aspire to be no 1...
Some trivia - can you name the only indian captain who had shown the guts to declare and set a target of 418 to the touring side, in the early morning of the 4th day itself!?!
Re: ....
by gautham kamath on Apr 09, 2009 09:53 AM
Theres always the first time.... Sir this would have ben the 1801 st test and 1st one to chase 500 in 4th innings... Remember when India could beat Australia after getting a follow - on than why cant new zealand do this feat of chasing 500 to win a test(Never underestimate any team).New zealand had the capacity to chase 500. They have showed that in Napier 1st Innings. All they needed was a good knock from ryder, McCullum and Taylor... and they would have chased 500... It is really not fair to blame dhoni for not winning the test... If something would have gone wrong and black caps had chased 500, than everybody would have blamed dhoni for not batting on 4th morning. Please dont mix blame game and cricket.
Re: Re: ....
by VancouverPunekar on Apr 09, 2009 10:02 AM
there is lot of difference between first innings when the pitch conditions arte at best and fourth innings when they are at worst and also dont forget the pressure factor while chasing
If someone is chasing 500 chances are they will end up at like 300 or something..since they have nothing to lose...there is no pressure. But set a target of 300...and you will find the side chasing crumbling, how often have we seen that?
specifically about your example when we followed on and still won, again note the picth conditions...
We had an opporunity to make a statement..and i am afraid we missed it!
Re: Re: Re: ....
by Subhash Bose on Apr 09, 2009 10:36 AM
This is my reply to all of the interesting comments from the people above. The ideas are well expressed and I see sense in both views- declaring early vs declaring late. I can only say that we are all discussing this coolly only becos India won the series. Imagine, how bad it would have been if NZ pulled through an amazing victory (a miraculous win, but we have seen records being made/ broken many a time when no one ever expected the records to happen!!!). None of the above pundits would have been remotely supportive of Dhoni if that decision had cost us the series. I think that Dhoni should be commended for his gr8 job (a historic win indeed, no matter what one may say) and I am sure that he will learn a lot from this experience. Enjoy folks- JAI HO / JAI HIND
Re: Re: Re: Re: ....
by Janardhana on Apr 09, 2009 07:27 PM
Great logic, in that case, dhoni should not have declared at all, because what guarantee was there that NZwould not have chased 617. If NZ were to chase 570 plus runs and win, then we don't deserve to be above Kenya and Bangaldesh, and there is not pride in winning series. We have already won away series against Windies and England and squared against No. 1 Australia in australia and now it is time to do one better and there was a chance to do that also but was wasted.
Great cricketers continue to praise Sachin for what he does for India and for this batting greatness except for some sections of the Indian public who continue to have a go at him no matter what he does! These people will realise one day that Sachin was one the greatest batsman ever to have played cricket and that rather than just enjoying his batting they decided to criticise his batting! This is common with great people. The world criticises great people when they are alive, but praises them when they are gone!
...by just delaying the declaration. Dravid (in England for the 3rd/last test in 2007) and Kumble (against Pak in the last test in B'lore the same yr) were critisized for being conservative in their approach. While they can be pardoned considering the strength of opposition and our on strength at that point of time. India now is lot better than what it was 2 yrs back. We have a well rounded attack. NZ's batting is as weak it could be. A lead of 530 at the end of the 3rd day was enough. Dhoni certainly missed a great opportunity and reflected the attitude (poor one) of this team (despite having all the necessary skill/power). Oh, what a waste of all the efforts to get into the match winning situation.
Re: All efforts of getting into match winning situation was waste
by delguy on Apr 09, 2009 06:52 AM
I would agree with you, but remember we are Indians and Indians are not known for killer blows...... I feel bad for bowlers, they are insulted by Dhoni by not declaring for 550 lead also.
