-Strauss goes to the dressing room during interval and says "this is a flat pitch and we can do it". Comes down and does exactly what he says and almost finishes an impossible run chase. -Afridi comes here with a decimated, with half of the bowling gone nobody gives them a darn chance and yet he encourages, dominates , asks the team to perform and works with them. He leads from front in a solid display of batting and bowling (not fielding) against SriLanka and defeats them in their backyard. Now Pak is suddenly a force to reckon with -Dhoni comes back from SA tour where he never performed and gave excuses after excuses. He signs new ad contracts with some companies including potato chips and ceiling fans, and goes around cheerleading for his team. After a great performance by Kohli he demotes Kohli and promotes himself in a batting to come in after most of the best work was already done. Swings around the bat, emerges with a rusty bowling attack of only spinners and completely runs out of all ideas to save the game. THe Indian team looks beaten , tired and crestfallen by half of the innings with their bowling weaknesses completely exposed. Dhoni rides his luck to tie the game, never speaks of something like "we will come back, we will do better" etc. What he says is "we would win if we were a better fielding side" and "if you have to score 350 everytime to get a result the tournament w
Re: A difference between captains
by Blue Turban on Feb 28, 2011 06:27 PM
Make sachin the captain and then see how miserably India will start losing :-)
Re: A difference between captains
by anand zawar on Feb 28, 2011 06:22 PM
People start bashing tendulkar for everything..well, atleast yesterday they must have realized how much his century was worth. Poor tendulkar, a legend playing with a bunch of media-hyped players and nothing else. Do feel pity for him. Anyway, couldnt agree more with you.
Re: Re: A difference between captains
by French Cuisine on Feb 28, 2011 06:31 PM
I think many people bash Sachin in this forum just to make fun. But yesterday all his good work was undone, anyway it was a masterclass of controlled aggression that none of the others are capable of. Strauss was fantastic as well.
Re: Re: Re: A difference between captains
by anand zawar on Feb 28, 2011 06:45 PM
Strauss was already out in the third over. Our great captain and bowler dint even appeal. How generous...He was out once again in the middle overs. Same, caught behind, again no appeal. By the way, did you listen to what Atherton said to strauss at the awards? he said....''Finally can you now say that if there is sachin, England's strauss has arrived as well. I thought that was overblown. lolzz. He got three lives, mediocre bowling and fielding and a dropped catch. Even the great Ravindra Jadeja would have scored a century. cheers.
Re: A difference between captains
by Jason Bourne on Feb 28, 2011 06:40 PM
French, Yes-Dhoni is a little concerned that Strauss's powerplay showed how more aggression from Dhoni would help India. Hopefully, he got that message.
He is also right that, if we are a better fielding side, we would have won. But he should have rallied the team to show more energy. They looked so beaten and their fitness level looked very bad. How can athletes of this level be so lethargic in movement?
I hope someone is talking to them about it and making them run 3-5 miles a day this whole 2 weeks until south africa match. Just wakeup and run 3 miles before training. It is not that hard.
Re: Re: A difference between captains
by French Cuisine on Feb 28, 2011 06:43 PM
I thought that should already be a norm for a bunch of super-rich professionals.
Re: Re: Re: A difference between captains
by Jason Bourne on Feb 28, 2011 06:52 PM
That is the problem. I think these guys are too rich for fitness coach to just ask them to show-up on the field at 6am and run.
Second thing is, these guys must be just eating biriyanis, makhanis and vada pavs. Those bellies are showing that nutrition is not being taken as seriously. I hope someone puts them on proper diet, with protein shakes and 5 small balanced meals every day with strength and endurance training.
because the match was a tie, you termed it as Classic? This game would be remembered for its poor fielding, catastrophic umpiring, Dhoni's poor decision making and Chinnaswamy's placis wickets.....
A pitch which helps both batters and bowlers is called a Classic pitch which is only offered by Eden Gardens pitch in India.
If the game would witness marvelous catches, dramatic fielding, witty decision makings then it would be considered as a Classics.
What we got in actual terms?
Pathetic fielding and bowling, distrous captaincy and fallible umpiring. Why call it a Classics?
Re: This was not at all a Classic
by officer shibu on Feb 28, 2011 06:36 PM
right said,it was only a game with individual performances..but the zaheer's over in the 3rd powerplay was definitely classic,no doubt!
Re: This was not at all a Classic
by Jason Bourne on Feb 28, 2011 06:45 PM
Haha, Superman, You are right, it is a classic just because until last ball any result is possible. The pitch was not bad, there were 670 runs and 18 wickets. Pathetic fielding, but bowling is not bad, Jaheer has done well. Disastrous captaincy - yes, from both sides, that we will have to agree.
Still, I think you are a little too harsh on both teams. Lets enjoy the one point and move on.
Singles are verymuch important to foil the ploy of ballers. Our batman faild to rotate the strike . Waited for loose balls. Stopping the single also important. See how stross developed his innings.
Re: Single are important ......dot balls.140 ?
by French Cuisine on Feb 28, 2011 06:20 PM
1s and 2s will never happen ever. Dhoni said "we must play shots and playing shots we get out - it is usual".
Truly this was one of the most memorable WC games ever. Things that were revealed were - James Anderson's bowling. I regarded him highly after his exploits in Ashes, but clearly he is not applying himself in this format. - Startling performances from Sach, Strauss, Tim and Zak. - How completely in disbelief I was, around the 26-27th over of the game when I realized that the match is in English pocket. Unless an improbable collapse (which actually happened) Indian hopes are gone. That too after scoring 340 and the match was being played here! The last time in a WC match in India this kind of thing happened in a group game against SriLanka when Sanath beat the hell out of Indians and what happened later in the tourney is history. The team and captain were completely out of ideas as to what to do, no enthusiasm in field, no venom in bowling and Strauss. It was a total blank out. Zaheer can be called as a savior here and there was drama, nerves and an undeserved tie. The turnaround happened because England took the powerplay and shot themselves thru the foot, not because of a tactical move fom Dhoni. England is a good team yes, but this performance was simply overblown. In a whole week's the Indian bowling had failed to prepare themselves for the opposition, and Dhoni again had to vomit out his usual excuses but never did he mention that his thinking was wrong here. This Indian team does not deserve to be world champs.
Poor fielding and placement, balling changes not intelligent , not leading from front, allow batsman to dominate, singles given easyly...waiting for england to give chance.
Why you guys give importance to these group matches? all you need to do is to win three group matches to get into Quarter -Final. Had there been system of only top two teams from both group making to the semi directly, then every group match would have been important.
Re: Big Irony
by siddhartha xx on Feb 28, 2011 12:30 PM
btw sachin not just scores a lot of hundreds, he also has over 60 man of match awards, thats i around 1 in every 7 odd games, which shows he is indias greatest match winner....no one even comes close to that record.
Re: Big Irony
by Yuvraj Pawar on Feb 28, 2011 12:30 PM
U don't know out of sachins 47 ODI hundred india won 34 and tied 2...Update ur cricket knowledge dude..:)
Re: Big Irony
by Yuvraj Pawar on Feb 28, 2011 12:30 PM
U don't know out of sachins 47 ODI hundred india won 34 and tied 2...Update ur cricket knowledge dude..:)
Re: Big Irony
by M K on Feb 28, 2011 01:14 PM
Dont cry foul - our guys very sleepy in the field as if they have all taken some sedatives, they didn't even claim the caught behinds
I Wonder How sometimes that Zaheer Khan can be in Indian Team. He is apart from all other indian bowler. H e is totally changed player unlike others. but at the same time i remember 2003 WC. india fret and fume seeing bowling agst ponting and gilly in the final. he was completly lost. but this guy changed now..
