rahul speaks his mind...

shared by straight point on Monday, March 30, 2009


for the first time since i remember him...

away from the glaring scrutiny of relentless indian media... new zealand seems to have given him much needed space to arrange and organise his thoughts... he seems relaxed at crease... no wonder the runs have started to follow....coz more than the technique... the problems were in his head...

so when he took indirect dig at 'natural players'... i was pleasantly surprised...this is what he said with obvious touch of tantrum...at the close of day 4 play...


I don’t know the meaning of playing your natural game all the time. You have to play according to the situation of the game. That’s what the great players have done over the years.

this is also reminder to players who bat only in one gear...and hide behind the beaten to death formula of 'natural play'...

specially sehwag...

branding him reckless dasher will be doing total injustice to his awesome talent...he has it in him to read the game more effortlessly and swiftly than many...and has shown it in adelaide as well as galle when chips were down...

» introducing 'Che' of indian cricket... @ BCC!
infact he went full one session at adelaide* without scoring a boundary! (can you believe it!) the fact he acknowledged in a cricinfo award function recently almost apologetically...

this shows that if he wants to do it...he can do it...

that's what dravid meant exactly...that one can not play 'natural game' all the time...that sometime giving due respect to match situation won't take away 'glory' from you...

so move over politically correct and serene dravid...i am already liking this new version of dravid... say dravid 1.50...?

...and i hope this version is here to stay...


*correction
thanks tifosi guy for pointing my gaffe on galle...

27 comments:

Gaurav Sethi said...

Just look at that picture - Sarandeep Singh of all people, lackadaisical as always. Makes RD look like batman.

And just imagine for how long RD's been dying to say this. Next match he'll retire hurt at 196.

Damith S. said...

I feel for RD, I really thought his career was over after Mendis and Australia ran through him.

But Kudos to him. A dig at God to boot.

You gotta love it.

SP-how did you get that Indian guys pic on the Che poster? Do let us know!

Anonymous said...

Some artful selective quoting there. Understand the frustration with Sehwag's reckless dismissal in both innings but let me play devil's advocate - what is the point of having a batting order with Tendulkar, Dravid, Laxman, not to mention Yuvraj and Gambhir, if it does not allow one batsman atleast to go out there and start hitting hell for leather from ball 1 to put the fear of god in the opposition batsman. I feel its totally wrong to blame Sehwag for trying to set an audacious agenda. That is his role in the side. Even in the second innings, you know well that if he had got into his rhythm, India could have posted a lead of over 300 before lunch on the fifth day itself and put New Zealand in to bowl them out and win the game. When he got out, the rest of them batted for the draw, but until he was there the win was still on. Let us not blame him for his role. Dravid is petulant if he is cribbing at Sehwag about forcing Dravid in to bat early - what is Dravid's role in the side other than to bat long and slow?

Som said...

I think it all depends on the team strategy. If the think-tank arms Sehwag with a licence to kill bowlers and tells him to go bang-bang, assigning it as his lone duty with the bat, I think Viru is justified in his one-dimensional approach. But if the issue is left to the cricketing sense, I think team interest should prevail over natural style. At times, circumstances force DRavid to throw his bat at everything, something he considers blasphemous in other time. But then team always come first.

cricketanalysisdotcom said...

One day, probably not soon but who knows, Sehwag is going to have to fight to stay in the side. At that point, I think he will start to slow down with the shots. And he will perform worse and be dropped quicker because of it.

straight point said...

yes NC i was looking for dravid pic which is not his usual type image...

he has been on receiving end for quite some time now...and as soon as runs has started to flow so are words i guess... :)

straight point said...

A dig at God to boot.

indeed RD...as i said i am already loving it...

straight point said...

welcome anony...i always encourage different view point to carry fwd debate...

i don't have any problem with sehwag batting aggressively...but batting recklessly...manufacturing shots when the possibility is none...not respecting the situation team is in...and batting like afridi is even not befitting his stature...

as i highlighted his galle full one session without boundary which means he can do it...if he wants to...

...and thats all we want from him...which i dont think is asking too much from him...is it...?

straight point said...

that's interesting theory cricketanaylsis...

i would suggest you to scroll down a bit and find the brilliant quote from naked cricket...

let's see what's ur take on it... :)

straight point said...

som...very rightly put...

but do you really think that dravid will be so oblivious of team's policy toward 'licensing' sehwag...?

Kinka said...

i think, every player should play their natural game but according to the situation. if you are confident to maintain your rethym in differing condition too, no problem, play your natural game..but if it works without, you must forget your style and respect the 'need' of the hour and perform accordingly. This is what viru has done in both the innings...we can't expect of you viru...

straight point said...

everybody plays his natural game kinka...be it dravid or sehwag...the great players adopt to the situation...while the mortals hide behind it...

Tifosi Guy said...

Just a slight correction mate, Sehwag didn't score a boundary during his 155 in Adelaide early 2008 and not in Galle

Cheers

straight point said...

thank you very much TG for pointing out my gaffe on galle...i stand corrected now....

btw, welcome @ SP...do keep dropping by... :)

scorpicity said...

Rahul and scandalous... wow! I generally thing all the talk of natural game is generally garbage... They all play in the context of the game... while one might have been thinking of saving the game and the other going for glory in an attempt to produce the most devastating innings ever in the history of the game. All about perspectives... either way wish Rahul raps a bit.

straight point said...

scorpy...i too was like wow! is it dravid...?

thoght it all boils down to the perception...but some times one needs to curb it instinct a bit if that can help team...

i liked som's comment on his blog that maybe the approach of gambhir might have prompted dravid to come out taunting...

rs said...

I disagree with RD -- we can't have only walls (now that GG has been called a second wall :)) need a roof, flooring and accessories :) Let Sehwag be -- we have won more matches recently because of him. Perhaps the saving can be left to others.

Kinka said...

Picture by Arushi on top giving smart look ...seems Pankaj writing on lab top and watching cricket...good one.. keep sketching Arushi

straight point said...

i agree with you RS to the extent that we need different type of players...coz otherwise it will be uni dimensional...

but sometimes we need to work to achieve common goals (like winning or saving) and if in doing so if we need to alter our approach a bit there is no harm in it...

like if sehwag is going great guns at one end you expect even a 'wall' (or walls?) to rotate strike...then a wall kinda guy can't say that my job is to block one end...

straight point said...

thanks kinka for noticing... yeh... this is her interpretation of me blogging about cricket...

did you notice that even she likes green pitch...not the flat types...?
:)

Kinka said...

Oh yes, i have just noticed.

Vyom said...

Well, a nice debate is going on here.
I would like to say that Sehwag does look silly at times when going for his shots, but when they come off, then everyone knows what he does to the opposition.
Comeon man, this man has an average of over 50 at a strike rate of more than 80 in test cricket. These are just unbelievable numbers for an opener. He has won matches single-handedly for India.
So blaming him for some failures is not that fair.
Though Dravid is not wrong in saying that you have to play according to the situation and Sehwag has shown in the past that he can also adapt to a certain extent.
But don't expect him to block and play like a Dravid. It is just not his game.

straight point said...

welcome vyom...hope to see you more often here...

as i said to rs...

tell me...if sehwag is going great guns at one end won't you expect even a 'wall' (or walls?) to rotate strike...then a wall kinda guy can't say that my job is to block one end...

this means that at times one need to alter his game to the need of situation...that's all dravid meant in the end...

Megha said...

Agree 100% SP...while not denying that everyone has their own way of playing, it would be foolish for a player to not adapt himself according to the situation. When chasing 600, a mad dash is not the most prudent way forward..neither is incessant blocking and killing the momentum when the team is in a strong position (something Dravid has been guilty of at times)

a 6 hit on the field, and now this one off the field :) luurrving it...

Anonymous said...

Dravid has resucrreted (spell is wrong) himself after the quiet 2008. And when and if SL tours India, the story against the Mendis and Murali duo would be different from wot happened in SL series.....

Dravid has been an agrresive player too but thats a forgotten story!!

straight point said...

thanks megha...

yes this is refreshing change indeed... :)

straight point said...

sam...its too early to say that he has resurrected his career...but never the less...good start indeed...

about me...

BCC!straight point (sp) is restless... relentless... but a fun loving guy... likes to live life to fullest... trying to discover himself through cricket... welcome to this little world of his...

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