dhoni because...
the flexibility for which dhoni used to be known for has been replaced by some fixed notions as far as his leadership goes... his insistence on preferring pathan and jadeja over specialists has started to hurt india badly... even when selector gave him specialist spinners in the form of mishra and ojha... he kept preferring pathans... for the 'balance' sake... its not only the caribbean even in sri lanka where pitches and conditions were more conducive to spin... he did not play mishra...
he has also started to take 'reactive' decisions... in champions trophy first he said we can't play extra bowler coz it disturbs the balance of the team... then after a defeat and facing elimination... he said extra bowler helps coz you don't have to score that many runs... even in the crunch game his decision to bat first seems reaction to the criticism of bowling first decisions earlier rather than on sound logic...
he kept on bowling first when he did not had bowlers who could exploit the conditions and in crunch game yesterday he opted to bat when the situation was similar to say impending rain... when you want to chase coz you want to keep pace with revised target... but he chose to bat instead coz that appeared more convenient to him...
this goes to show how defensive he has become and do not want to push himself as well as the team... he seems content in the comfort zone... so does the team...
selectors because...
when your chief selector pledges in front of nation, after first test fiasco against south africa, that he will never select players who are not fully fit... and went on to do so for no less than a world cup... what can you do...?
the selections were based on reputations rather than form... the thinking was clear... stuff the team with batsmen coz t20 is a batsman game... and chawla's selections indicated that... who was apparently preferred over mishra and ojha for his batting skills... but they forgot that you just cannot bat and bat... but have to bowl too to defend the total... and no amount of big hitting can defend bad bowling...
dhoni was just not given bowlers to fall back on... instead he was given assembly of part times... it came as no surprise that when situation demanded dhoni could not find bowler to throw the ball to knowing he will give his 100%...
the squad for the world cup should be like where every player can make it into final xi depending upon conditions... situations... but we carried 3-4 passengers in a squad of 15 when even some main players were not close to the top form!
where does this leave captain...? what options dhoni had to maneuver...?
selectors stint thus far has been rank conservative that lacks vision... and if they continue to do so... this will erase everything what team india has achieved of late... despite their insipidity... and one wonders they are actually paid 40 lakhs a year for this crap!!
bcci... attention please... i can do as bad a job for even 10 lakhs per annum... or i might actually...
india's exit: whom to blame... dhoni or selectors...?
shared by straight point on Wednesday, May 12, 2010
sans comment...
shared by straight point on Wednesday, May 12, 2010
"Your franchise pays so much money for you, you should at least make the semi-finals. After that you can say it is a lottery."
MS Dhoni, explains his charged-up reaction, and the unpredictability of the knock-out phase, after taking Chennai Super Kings into the IPL semi-finals.
srikkanth's new promise to india...
shared by straight point on Monday, May 10, 2010
yesterday after announcing team india for zimbabwe tour... kris srikkanth, chief selector of india, made a new promise to the nation... when asked about team india's performances in ongoing t20 world cup... cheeka said...
"our batting is world class... no doubt about it... it was our bowlers who did us in... they never got early wickets to put opposition team under pressure and consistently failed to restrict them to a manageable total... so, irrespective of what happens in this world cup, i promise to select a team of 15 batsmen for the next world cup..."
he ended the press conference with a rhetoric question... "what is the need of bowlers when they are of no use...?"
for a change... dhoni and i agree with him... india should have stuffed their line-up with batsmen who can chase any target opponent would put on the board...
dhoni langde pe mat ro...
shared by straight point on Saturday, May 08, 2010
only the name has changed but not the fate... earlier i wrote about gambhir... yesterday dhoni did the same... with same result... and surrendered the advantage of winning the toss on platter to australia...
at the cost of repeating myself... i believe t20 is too abbreviated a format to let go any advantage that you have over your opponent...but it seems like legacy that one captain after another chose to chase in pressure cooker matches as if the pressure to perform is not enough in world events...
to quote what soulberry succinctly wrote at his blog...
Indian captains exhibit the strangest behaviour ever known when they are confronted with Australia and a won toss in a crucial encounter in a tournament or ICC tournament - they, almost predictably, opt to field first! It doesn't matter who the captain is - Azza, Ganguly or Dhoni - they exhibit the same unlearning behaviour.
team india thinking seems like they do not want to bat themselves out in first innings when the pitch is helping bowlers... but it is seen time and again... when they chase they bat themselves out of not only just the match but also from tournament...
another argument is that our bowling is weak so we decide to chase... but this is also wrong on two counts...
first... in all probability batsmen will not muddle things in middle as often as they do while chasing...
second... the pressure of a total on board coupled with pressure of a world event gives additional teeth... additional potency to the weak bowling...
so to me... the decision to bowl first is an utterly defensive and inexplicable decision... i hope the lesson is learned...
umesh yadav...
shared by straight point on Friday, May 07, 2010
this is what i tweeted after watching his performances in ipl... even before the powers that be started talking about him...
umesh yadav... we will soon see this lad donning blue...
3:27 PM Mar 30th via TweetDeck
and here he is... catching a flight to caribbean... in place of an injured praveen kumar... to realise his dream to play for india... and once again ipl - the dream merchant is the reason...
umesh yadav impressed with his raw pace but came across as the one who is prone to spray the ball in excitement... but as ipl progressed he showed that he has the ability to learn quickly... he not only started varying his pace but length too to good results for delhi daredevils, the team he plays for in ipl... yadav has it in him to bowl as good a toe crushing yorker as one can see and has the pace to surprise with a sharp short pitch ball... a good weapon to unleash on opponent... it's time some one from india gives back the 'chin music' with due interest...
to those who don't know much about him... here's this wonderful story about him... the son of a coalmine worker answers india's need for speed in caribbean...
“I have just collected my tickets from the Vidarbha cricket office, it still hasn’t sunk in. My parents are very excited but nervous as well. They are village people and have very little idea of the world outside. All my father asked was ‘When will you return home?’,” Yadav told The Indian Express after getting the most important call of his short cricketing career.
the dream of one more dreamer is about to realise...
how could this happen to england...?
shared by straight point on Tuesday, May 04, 2010
something unfanthomable happened in t20 world cup yesterday...
west indies became the first team in world to benefit from duckworth-lewis (D/L) method... but the unfathomable part was that it was the england who suffered from it...
how could this happen to england of all the teams in world...?
now that mighty england has suffered the fate from D/L method... implemented first time in any major international level tournament... it has 'exposed' how complex it is to follow... and how unfair it is to team batting second...
the evidence is there for all the see... we can expect some much needed amendments...
one cynic got the whiff from my tweet on the same matter and sent me this link of 1992 world cup... he severely criticised me for my lack of general cricket knowledge... he told me D/L method is in place since ages... and that it was england team who benefited from it then...
must say... i am left speechless...
the face of new suresh raina...
shared by straight point on Sunday, May 02, 2010
runs down leg side... 46% – runs down off side... 54%
do i need to say more...?
india won but dhoni blinked...
shared by straight point on Sunday, May 02, 2010
before the match started cricket world was falling over one another in singing praise for afghanistan team and rightly so... but there has to be a distinction between praise and hype... and unfortunately... dhoni failed to spot the difference... and bite the hype...
we were told that coz of early morning start the wicket had 'juice' in it... bowling first was the wise and safe option... so dhoni took no chance and did the same... and robbed his batsmen the chance of playing full twenty overs ahead of a crucial match against much tougher opponent...
if dhoni cannot show confidence on his batsmen who have the collective experience of more international matches than the collective age of opposition team in park... against bowlers who will struggle to make it into our ranji teams... against a team which was debuting at international stage... and adopted a safety first approach then i can already sense how confident team india is going to the t20 world cup...
one looks for the signs on how confident a team is about itself... but dhoni's decision, who is hailed as aggressive captain, was anything but that...
so to me though india won... but dhoni blinked... to the hype of debutants...
t20 worldcup is starting from today... so...
shared by straight point on Friday, April 30, 2010
t20 matches will suddenly become 'exciting'...
those who felt proud saying they were not bothered to watch ipl... will now get something to hooked on to...
the ugly shots that were played in ipl will now acquire a new meaning and greatness coz its t20 world cup...
india's matches being played on either saturdays or sundays that too at convenient time of 7pm IST during t20 world will not be seen as bcci or india's clout over world cricket now...
all those who kept mourning t20 is killing cricket during ipl will now go on caribbean vacation...
those who will defend t20 world cup will not be called "icc world twenty20 chastity protectors..."
...and finally...
if kallis goes on to score some good runs in caribbean... it will not be called slap... sorry stinging slap on icc world twenty20...
