Nice to find such a series on All-padded-Up. Will look forward to more such disagreements.
Although I can agree with you that, it's wrong to ask Dhoni to step down from T20 captaincy alone; I feel Dhoni should be made accountable for what he did and; if found in mistake, can be made to pay the price; loss of captaincy included.
I feel Straight Point is quite right when he said; Dhoni has started taking his Midas touch image, fed to him by Media since 2007, way too seriously. In the recently concluded WC, Dhoni took some decisions which, as you said were really stupid, say for itself, the magnitude of his folly. And for that any reprimand, that can even include stripping him of his captaincy, as doable option.
Why?
As, cricket is not just a game or a passion in the country; it also represents an entity (business) which earns crores. If as a key functionary, a captain can't be made accountable in tangible ways. Then how can one expect the cricket as an entity progress in the country?
Secondly, if Dhoni has taken some visibly stupid (as you mentioned in your post) or non-researched decisions; then how can one expect such a person to lead an entity which has an annual turnover worth in hundreds of crores?
I think, some among us have taken the "Dhoni should not be the captain of T20 format" in a too literal manner; when the actual point made, was the desire to fix accountability in some form on Dhoni, after T20 WC debacle. Again, some among us will say that he has performed well, prior to the world cup; but if there are visible signs of non-researched and fancy decision making even once in a big tournament; then isn't it be taken as an abnormality for cricket in the country.
As, it's alright to lose even after implementing researched and well thought out strategies; but losing even a single game with fanciful decision making, needs some serious boardroom scrutiny and if the need be, polite requests to quit.
Response to All-Padded-Up post
shared by Anil Singh on Monday, May 24, 2010
india's exit: whom to blame... dhoni or selectors...?
shared by straight point on Wednesday, May 12, 2010
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the flexibility for which dhoni used to be known for has been replaced by some fixed notions as far as his leadership goes...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...
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...
team india's performance appraisal at ipl...
shared by straight point on Tuesday, April 20, 2010
now that every team has played 14 games and semifinal spots are sealed... like last time... its time to see how team india performed in ipl this season...here's the appraisal...
virender sehwar and gautam gambhir... poor...
strictly going by t20 form they should feel lucky that the team for t20 world cup was announced a month before... if one threw his wicket for reckless... random shots... another threw it for his reckless running which is threatening to become his hallmark... still gambhir managed to play some crucial knocks despite him not being in great form and but for his running would have played more... i would suggest, like last time, rohit sharma should open along with gambhir for team india there... leaving sehwag to either warm benches or play a finisher role in middle order... on current form...
suresh raina... good...
it should be attributed to his immense potential that even after being the highest scorer in ipl history... we look at him as still-in-finishing-stage batsman... though he seems to have listened to my advice... and now have started playing shots on off side too which makes him double dangerous now... the only question remains... will he be able to carry his ipl form to t20 world cup...? i think he will...
rohit sharma... good...
when he could not do with bat did it with his fielding and bowling in this ipl... developing into an all-round player... and a good finisher... seems to have taken his batting more seriously and also seems aware of the competition he is facing from his peers... i have this feeling that he will come out from this world cup with credit to his reputation...
yuvraj singh... poor...
from being the most agile fielder, his knee injury notwithstanding, he is fast becoming another player who needed to be hidden in the field... showing glimpses of his destructive powers here and there without looking threatening... the biggest challenge for team management will be to keep him motivated and focused as 'ghar ka khana' will not be available there...
dhoni... average...
despite him taking csk to semifinals with his sensational hitting... he has been average at best... he seems to have taken the burden of self-imposed responsibilities upon himself... i wish he just unleash himself and play with gay abandon he used to play... we might be in for a surprise...
yusuf pathan... hopeless...
its time he should be left alone and allowed to do what he does best... play nice cameos for rajashtan royals and when ipl is not happening... for baroda...
dinesh karthik... pass...
selectors are knocking the wrong door... its time they should move on and look at other budding good wicket keeping batsman talent... the guy just cannot see beyond his nose...
harbhajan singh... good...
apart from his ugly send off to some of india's upcoming talent... i must say... his bowling has been good... seems to have struck nice balance between wicket taking and run containing as per the demand of situation and when stars align perfectly in sky... can play blinder of an innings... explosive package i would say... will keep his team as well as opponent on its guard...
piyush chawla... lucky...
he has neither kept runs in check nor taken enough crucial wickets... he managed to have kept batting skills, on which he seems to edge out ojha and mishra, hidden to a place where even he can't fetch it when he wants... perhaps his selection can be best explained by the statement of dhoni when he said... "rather than best side the challenge is to select best balanced side..."
zaheer khan... good...
with experience he has understood his body dynamics... knows when to go full throttle and when to bowl within himself... but as i have been saying... will be under tremendous pressure as he is not given adequate support in seam bowling department... this will keep dhoni and team management praying for his fitness...
praveen kumar... average...
though he started well but fizzled out as the tournament progressed... could not make his presence count... praveen comes across as very impatient bowler... if he let go his experimentation itch with line and length can be a difficult bowler coz he can swing ball both ways from the same spot... there was one over to ganguly that explains (my stance)... after bowling three good dot deliveries that beat ganguly fair and square... he decided to come round the wicket and went for runs...
ashish nehra... good...
could not play most of ipl coz if his injury and when he looked fit and raring to go... his team ensured that his outing curtailed to few matches... but whenever nehra played he made his presence felt... looks in good rhythm and bowling with good pace... his fitness will be crucial too... coz he along with zaheer will be key bowlers who will share each other's load...
vinay lumar... average...
despite pitches suiting his bowling in the ipl... he failed to justify his selection for the caribbean party... i don't think that he will be playing in final xi anyways... barring injuries...
ravindra jadeja...
unfortunately we could not see him in ipl this season... but of what i saw before that he was bowling in good rhythm and in right areas... seems to have improved his batting... the pitches in caribbean will suit his kind of bowling and if he bowls the way he was bowling lately will turn out to be an attacking option for team india... jadeja should be the preferred all rounder...
to conclude... my preferred eleven will be in following order...
rohit, gambhir, raina, yuvraj, sehwag, dhoni, jadeja, harbhajan, praveen, zaheer, nehra...
update:
sehwag is out of t20 worldcup and murali vijay is going instead... though i adore viru... but i think this is blessing in disguise...
team india's t20 worldcup selection...
shared by straight point on Friday, March 26, 2010
...can be summed up as...
spray and pray...
for more detailed reaction... check out at bored...
my loser’s xi…
shared by straight point on Tuesday, June 23, 2009
going by famous adage that even dead watch tells the correct time twice a day...here is my loser’s xi from t20 world cup...that can take best in business...
- bopara
- haddin
- kp
- yuvraj
- david hussey
- dhoni (c & wk)
- mithcell johnson
- harbhajan singh / greame swann
- ojha
- sidebottom
- dirk nannes
with greame swann / harbhajan singh being the 12th man...
that’s some team of losers...
pakistan vs srilanka... triumph of human spirit...
shared by straight point on Saturday, June 20, 2009
that refuses to give-up against all odds...
both finalists in a way are victims of terror...
team srilanka faced bullets...for no fault of theirs...
team pakistan faced isolation...again for no fault of theirs...
both teams overcame their demons...specially srilanka after that traumatic experience...
both team fought with more hunger and desperation than other teams...
as sachin once famously said...both team indeed turned stumbling stones into milestones...and now are ready to lock horns for the battle of supremacy in the finals of world t20...
it can't merely be the coincidence...there is message hidden in it...
the message of keep fighting against all odds...the message that though negative elements can disrupt life...temporarily...but the spirit...the hope...just refuses to do die down for long...will eventually show us the way...and lead to our destinies...
while we don't know who will be lifting the cup on 21st of june 2009...what we know for sure is that cricket...the spirit of game...is already a winner...
take a bow...for srilanka and pakistan...
well done pakistan...but south africa didn't choke...
shared by straight point on Friday, June 19, 2009
yes...i don't think saffers choked yesterday...
they were thoroughly outplayed...outclassed...by a team who was more desperate for a win...
saying they choked will be like insulting the team pak's magnificent effort...don't get confused by their defeat margin of 7 runs...for to get choked they should have been in a winning position...but the reality is that they never looked like winning it...at any stage of their innings...
so...then how come south africa have choked...?
as for pak...i can only do this thing...
take a bow!!
virtually out of cricket map...anything worse that could have happen...happened to them...but they took everything in stride and kept it going...
like the current pepsi campaign..."i can't hear you..."
sometimes art of not listening... ignorance to what's happening around you...is the bliss...and pak has shown just that...under the able leadership of younis khan...who i have been saying for quite a while...is the best bet pak has right now...
he takes the game it is...just a game...thereby he don't let his team feel the pressure...sometimes younis demeanor...his endeavors on and off field are misinterpreted as if he is taking things lightly...but he surely knows the job...and how to extract best performances from his players...they are just enjoying themselves out there...afridi's contribution in last game is the case in point...
team pak...you are already a winner for me...
but yeh dil maange more...give me just one more game...am i asking too much...? ;-)
its been a while...
shared by straight point on Monday, June 15, 2009
sorry guys...i was away for a while...on forced vacation...in the mid of world cup!! (you can easily understand my plight...)
it seems lots have changed...from being defending world champions...team india now have to defend themselves when they will return to india...against waiting media...
can't comment directly on...coz i missed all recent matches including india's (of which i was (un)fortunate to see last couple of overs of england's innings only)...but here are my thoughts based on perceptions....and some old whines in new bottle...oops...post...
against my wishes team india went on with the mind set of defending world champions title...rather than to win it...they played with the strategy of not losing rather than playing attacking cricket to win it...hence over emphasis on stability (dhoni and later jadeja coming in to 'consolidate' is the point in case...)
dhoni now has become prisoner of flexibility...and of late seems to have developed the knack of fiddling with careers of players (specially batsmen) which is getting increasingly uncomfortable and gaining dangerous proportions...
- he did not let badri settle into any kind of rhythm in spite of him winning a match single handedly for csk...
- successfully managed to mess up raina's great form...india's highest run scorer from recently concluded ipl...
- and his latest victim being poor ravindra jadeja...
while india paid the price of playing poor cricket by becoming the first team to exit from super8...i am wondering when robbing singh will pay the price of india consistently pathetic poor performances in fielding department...
i have been mentioning it for a while now at bored...that's why i call him 'robbing' singh...coz now his 'coaching' has robbed us a chance to win and retain world cup trophy...some guys are born with all the luck and permanent position of fielding coach in indian team...
but what about harbhajan singh...? of what little i saw...but for his dart bowling (he gave away 10 runs for leg side wides and also extra runs that were scored coz of wides...) we could have still won despite all the messing up from dhoni, jadeja and robbing singh's pupils...
it’s time to see beyond ponting... michael hussey...
shared by straight point on Tuesday, June 09, 2009
...and uninterested players too...
now that ozies are out...they can ponder over some issues apart from preparing for ashes...
we are always made to believe that oz have pool of talented players (sans spinners of course) but in contrast to this very belief...they keep falling for the same set of players time and again...
so whenever watson will regain his fitness he will be drafted into the team like he has a place reserved for life...while players like marsh etc will be shown the door...without giving them enough chances...
michael hussey can keep his place doing virtually nothing...
..and above all is ponting...his t20 record both as captain and as player...is nothing to cheer about...his captaincy is regressing which is clearly visible...but cricket australia showing trademark arrogance (or lack of choices?) made him captain for all versions of game till 2011 world cup...beat that...!
now that ponting has led to their most embarrassing exit from a world event...will they sit and ponder over their future for limited form of games...?
i think they should... the way game is evolving you need players who are not only skilled but hungry to make mark on international scene... who don’t pretend to like one format over other... coz once you step into field wearing national cap... the length of game must seize to exist... one should be proud of the fact that he is representing his country at international stage... out of many who can only dream about it...
by showing indifference towards the job at hand or making it sounding like another outing to entertain (younis khan...please note) you are not only showing disrespect to the cap but also insulting your fans who follow you like a religion...
anyway who wants uninterested players...?
those who don't show due respect and commitment to this form of game...just needs to see what that world cup win did to indian cricket...
in this regard i sincerely applaud our seniors, who are otherwise known to stick to their places, for seeing the light and willingly distancing themselves from this shortest form of game...rest as they say is history...we not only won the t20 worldcup...but indian cricket has not looked back since then...
moral of the story...?
either show respect towards the game...or make way for those who will...
can a tournament have finals played even before it starts...?
shared by straight point on Wednesday, June 03, 2009
the buffoons at icc have done just that...
if they were thinking that its just another warm up match then they don't even know what happens when two fiercest of rivals play on the ground...
they just don't play cricket...they live cricket...and with them the fans...the followers...you and me...many skip heart beats...everything else just seizes to exist...
yes guys i am talking about indo-pak 'warm up' match...
in fact at bored the game has already begun...
like icc i hope you won't risk it thinking its just another warm up game...
do join us at BCC!...lets come together...
lets live the moment in the company of those who know what it means...lets live the moment in the company of friends...defying borders...created by others...
so...see you all...at bored...where else...
lessons learnt from first warm up game...
shared by straight point on Tuesday, June 02, 2009
- first warm up game...india vs new zealand...
- our bowlers avoid using head in death overs...
- fielding is as pathetic as before...robbing singh will enjoy england doing nothing...as usual...
- rohit opening - no one is indispensable...
- gambhir on current form - highly dispensable...
- dhoni continues to over rate himself...
(his stumping was most embarrassing dismissal i have seen of late of a front line batsman...i mean how he missed the line...while the ball was going towards leg...he continued to charge on off side...)
- yousuf pathan can perform only when warne's around...
(mean what was he doing...he acted like as if he was out on a death row...specially when he tonked the same bowler in ipl with effortless ease...)
- irfan pathan - one of the most lucky guy playing at international level...
p.s. som...you have my company now... :)
