Random Ramblers Timbuktoo#68!!!! - Page 7

Originally posted by: Kavya_KraZQueen

, I can vouch for a fact that even Ricky Ponting could not have handled the pressure of being an Indian captain, it is easier to lead the Australian team.

Absolutely! I don't think there is a single cricket team in the world who has as much pressure on them as the Indian team. And with 1.2 billion voices shouting at you to do well in all matches, handling that pressure has never been easy. The fact that Dhoni can do this speaks volumes about his self-control, self-belief.

The trick is to not let all those expectations and the burden weigh you down, that is an art which Dhoni has mastered beautifully, he keeps his calm no matter what and adamantly does what he believes in, fully aware of and prepared for the outcome and repercussions- good or bad, when the leader who the team looks up to doesn't feel this pressure and doesn't put it on his team-mates, it gives them the freedom to perform and contribute in their own way and that reflects in the individual's performances as well as team's performance on the field very well.

Totally agree here.

I would also have to disagree that Dhoni is not a brilliant batsman, he IS! He wouldn't have won his place in the team in the first place if he hadn't been - it's just that off late we haven't witnessed Dhoni in his full form , if we go back a few years, around the time Dhoni entered the team, we can see that he is one explosive and highly talented batsman.

I do think that Dhoni is an excellent batsman, no doubt. What I meant to illuminate was that he is no Sachin; and even Sachin couldn't handle the pressure of being the captain - because he then had two sets of expectations weighted against him, 1) to bat a century every time 2) to manage his team to victory every time. An extraordinary talent can only be a Master of his trade. Dhoni's excellence comes more from his personality and hard work than from any specific area of cricket. Having a captain's mindset - like you said, Ganguly's emotions often got the better of him. I thought Dada was a fantastic asset and back in those days he was my favourite of the whole team. (Disclaimer - whenever I make blanket statements like this, let's assume that I've taken Sachin out of the equation already 😆 he is a master, and no one will ever be better than him).

But though he had good, experienced players to manage, Dada didn't always succeed in binding and unifying that team the way Dhoni (and Gary) has done. I was, truth be told, more impressed by Dravid's captaincy than I was with Dada's. Not to say that I don't love & admire Dada at all.

Truth is, in the euphoria of finally winning the WC, Dhoni has come on par with only Kapil Dev, and all other captains have taken, for a time being, the "loser's role". When the euphoric haze dies down (a few years from now😆), then we can look back with a more neutral eye and say that other captains too have done their parts in molding our Indian team - as an idea and identity - to the level it now is. But even then, for me, Dhoni will always be the best captain we've had in decades.

Originally posted by: psawyer

Lol, Yuvi was funny being so serious...but I am glad MS came out before him; Yuvi, as great as he is, is a tempestuous player and I was worried that he would try going too far too quickly and lose his wicket at too early a stage. And then Gauti, being slightly less experienced, would have crumbled too. So I was glad that level-headed Dhoni came out and calmed the innings, so much so that Yuvi didn't need to do too much at all!

I think THIS was a master stroke and honestly the turning point of the match if you ask me - I think that decision of Dhoni's was a fantastic display of captaincy on his part.👏

Absolutely - in Sat's game Dhoni reminded me of Arjuna from Mahabharata - the way his eyes were focused only on his goal...the guy's like a sponge, seriously - he just absorbs all that pressure so no one else has to.

Beautifully put Vasu 👏

Whoever is at the crease with him at the time is instantly calmer because Dhoni is there. A genius of a player - and I've always been a supporter. Even when things sometimes go wrong, or his risks turn out to make us lose, I don't curse him for that. Someone has to take risks, to think outside of the box, to try something new.

I DO agree that SOMEONE has to take risks and think out of the box to make it work and I definitely appreciate Dhoni for that, you cannot keep playing safe all the time because that gets you nowhere. However, I also believe that the risks you take should be backed by some cricketing logic as well, I sometimes fear that he gambles a bit too much - like the decision to have Nehra bowl in the last over in the SA match. We have won that world cup and that is all behind us now but that was definitely a reckless gamble , that WAS an illogical decision and that was a decision he deserved to be criticized for. Dhoni took Nehra for Pak match, which, unlike many think, made sense I think . Yes, now Mohali was the kind of pitch that aided Nehra's style of bowling and considering Nehra's flitting form , it was definitely a risk but then the decision to pick him and go with three seamers made sense nevertheless.

It can't be Yuvraj, or any other player in the team. It has to be the captain, because he is the one who will have to stand by and justify his actions. And I loved his comment in the presentations that, had things gone the other way, his actions and decision would have been questioned to death - why Sreesanth, why come out ahead of Yuvi, etc.

I loved his comments too and honestly, I love some of his smart digs at the fans and cynics here but I cannot condone him lashing out openly at his team-mates in front of the media. He has every right to be pissed off with them and some of their on/off-field antics but that does not give him the right to whip them in public like, I feel he should have kept that to the dressing room and should have got their back in front of the media.

Though I still don't see the point of Sreesanth - he did nothing but leak runs - I do respect the fact that once Dhoni makes a decision, he sticks with it, and to hell with everyone else. If he makes a mistake, he acknowledges it; if he gets it right, we win the World Cup 😉

Bang on Vasu - very well said , just like Dhoni 😉 - the decision to take Sreesanth was DEFINITELY questionable even now, had I been a reporter I'd have definitely asked him this question in the post match conference, yes even though we won 😆

Originally posted by: psawyer

But though he had good, experienced players to manage, Dada didn't always succeed in binding and unifying that team the way Dhoni (and Gary) has done. I was, truth be told, more impressed by Dravid's captaincy than I was with Dada's. Not to say that I don't love & admire Dada at all.

Truth is, in the euphoria of finally winning the WC, Dhoni has come on par with only Kapil Dev, and all other captains have taken, for a time being, the "loser's role". When the euphoric haze dies down (a few years from now😆), then we can look back with a more neutral eye and say that other captains too have done their parts in molding our Indian team - as an idea and identity - to the level it now is. But even then, for me, Dhoni will always be the best captain we've had in decades.

Originally posted by: Kavya_KraZQueen

@Anu: Dhoni commented "don't play for the crowd, play for the team and the country" in front of the media about his team-mates after the batsmen's dismal performance in the 3rd powerplay in the match against SA which we lost , while he seemed a tad bit defensive about his decision of giving Nehra the last over especially when Nehra had been struggling earlier in the match, even though he admitted his mistake. Also, in the past, he has openly criticized Sreesanth in the media quite a bit. Now , I will not say, that he was not right but I just feel he should have kept it to the dressing room , it's like you are exposing your team-mates's flaws yourself and also, when some media people questioned about India's fielding earlier when we were fielding pathetically ,he said "I don't think we can improve the fielding very much because we have got quite a few slow fielders in the side." Again, even though it is true, it could have affected those slow fielders' morale.