we all keep on hearing this little story of how otherwise normal person transforms into a great actor once the directory shouts 'action' and camera rolls!! he becomes just another person...he becomes the character he is playing...
same seems to happen with Dhoni...
we all know how he was at sea in test series...but once the focus shifted to ODIs...where he is captain...he just don't seem to be same dhoni who played for india in test series...
he seems to enjoy leadership...and the word 'captain' transforms him into something special...i am not saying he was not special earlier...but he likes leadership and thats when his true self comes to fore...
maybe the feeling that he owns this group of youngsters...maybe the responsibility of being leader...and urge to show them the way...or maybe that now he is on his own being the 'captain' of the side is doing the trick...
otherwise how one can explain that same guy who could somehow not to put bat on bowl...gets transformed into a batsmen who just don't seems to get out...no poking of bat outside off stump...no confusion of where the next run is going to come from...infact india never looked like loosing wicket whenever he stepped in...in this ODI series...
can you shed more light?
Transformation!!
shared by straight point on Tuesday, February 12, 2008
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Are you sure he is transformed? He seems to be leading a double life.:)
i dont know...OTT...he can again poke and ponder at test level...
but the point is what makes him do silly things at one level and so much of assured of solidity at another?
i was just trying to find reasons...
Good point... but it is hard to think of any reason. He does seem to enjoy his cricket more when he has things his way.
"...He does seem to enjoy his cricket more when he has things his way..."
yup scorpy...you put it beautifully...
I see him playing at least one innings (maybe our next game vs Lanka) at No. 3 or 4. Do believe, he's out looking for a big, devastating 100. But yeah, MSD is almost at peace in the ODI, T20 games.
The thing with MSD that has been most striking is the clarity he has - if the ball is there to be hit, he hits it. The same clarity of thought has been evident in his captaincy.
The other thing about him has been his ability to identify flaws and work on them - his glovework is so much better than when he started off and his batting is more nuanced - he will never be a great technician but there is a lot of thought in his approach to the game.
That shows in his captaincy.
Cheers
NC
the way he is playing, i think he perceive himself to be a finisher...specially with in-experienced line up and yuvi not in form...
though i would like him to come up in the order and give us a smashing 100 as you mentioned but resisting the temptation i think he is better coming down order...has won us a game and put us in commanding position in one...
homer...
so where this clarity goes when he bats in tests...
i mean that the confidence of being his own man spurs him up and he becomes different batsman...may be he likes control as scorpy noted...
as harsha and shastri were discussing that for ant wicket keeper to go unnoticed in this much long tour in oz is remarkable...
it means he is doing very good job...
Ya SP if you know how to lead, you become more responsible, disciplined and accurate, and always want all your juniors to follow him. But regret to see when you are under leadership of other, why don't you think about your leader.
We are playing on the same pitches where we had just finished test series, but with different dhoni..is it.
If everyone realise their responsibility towards team, no one can defeat us.
SOme time it looks we are playing with same player but with different players. Like what Srishanth, Ishant were in earlier ODI, they were not in the last one (v/s Sri Lanka).
good luck for india.
good point SA...
if everybody realizes his role and responsibility in the team we can become no. 1 in not so distant future...
SP,
It is after the Lord's test that we saw this transformation in Dhoni's approach to test batting. Not to say that he has lost out on the art of the long ball - the Oval test is case in point.
Could it just be that he assesses the situation different from us and could it also be that in Test cricket, his limitations as a batsmen get exposed more than they do in ODIs?
Remember that in Tests, unlike ODIs, there are fewer restrictions on the fielding captain - and Dhoni is not the most technically equipped batsman around!
Cheers
well written........:)
I always thot Indian Captaincy is
Curse!!! whoever gets it...their downfall starts....in Dhonis case its different...he is transfroming into good one-day player...he really doesnt have proper technique like dravid or sachion...but whatever he has he is doing great job in one-day....I hope he does carry over to Test cricket..:)
homer
good point.
i think he is going through defining period in test cricket at least...he is deliberating on attack or defense and has not found the balance yet much like SRT faced...while SRT was technically equipped to come out of it dhoni will take slightly more time...
but one thing is for sure he will come out as better batsman from oz experience...
thanks KP...
as you have rightly noted, india have at last found a man who is actually enjoying the captaincy..
That's one aspect SP. The other is Test matches and limited overs are completely different games.
The mistake Dhoni made was try and play the one-day game in test matches with all the run-downs to third man and funny Marilliers to deep fine leg. They cut short his innings, as they would in test matches...different kind of field setting, more slips and such...and getting cut short in innings a few times stole away the confidence.
If you noticed, in the ODI's, he took his time initially to settle in....the one-day shots he played here didn't result in dismissals.
Responsibility was there even in test matches...not only was he the body of the lower middle order, but also a future captain. He was the VC I think too, so there wasn't any shortage of that in test matches. (wink)
I think he isn't as good a test player....he is a doodhiya no matter if he is on a bike, mobike, or a rolls royce...his game is such. And also, in this test series, he made another mistake...to believe that his pangaa batting will survive and thrive in test matches too against Australia...maybe against Zimbabwe, or West Indies, or Bangladesh (though I doubt that too), but had little chance to thrive against Oz.
His best test efforts to date have been the two innings in England where he really applied himself, played well within himself and didn't try pangaa cricket.
strong words SB...
though i would like to reserve my opinion/judgment...for another test series to see if this oz series has helped him in being more accomplished bat...i think he will be better...
playing Australia in Australia is no joke...and I think Dhoni is still learning to play hardball....long way to go...
welcome TSS...thanks...
yes, considering he is playing for first time down under he has not done that bad...
and i thought he lost form after the hair cut.
agree with yo uncle...don't know why he cut his hair for which even musharraf (pak president) advised against it...
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Yes, Dhoni has been more matured since he was given the captaincy of India’s Twenty20 and ODI team. The responsibility he has been showing these days is simply excellent. Earlier, he was like an entertainer who just wanted to hit the ball, even without considering the merit of the ball sometimes. However, he has really been transformed into a reliable batsman of Indian team. His match winning 50 against Sri Lanka yesterday is the evidence of his maturity as a batsman.
It is certain that the test captaincy will also be given to Dhoni at one point of time. However, his test performance is not that much satisfactory. Rather, Dinesh Karthik seems to be more consistent than Dhoni in test cricket. So, Dhoni needs to transform his maturity as a batsman in test cricket as well.
hi biplob...welcome...and thanks for stopping by...hope to see you more...
i could not agree more with you...he will have to carry this solidarity into test level as well...
I think thats true...he is developing into a reliable player...the finisher...and despite his swashbuckling style of play...
interesting...
(The thing with MSD that has been most striking is the clarity he has - if the ball is there to be hit, he hits it. The same clarity of thought has been evident in his captaincy.)
I agree with Homer. He may not have the best of techniques to play in tests, but more than makes up with his great temperament.
Somehow I had a hunch that would play aggressively today. Galloping towards his first century against Australia now.
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