Dhoni Defends His Selection of Players..

[graphic23]

ofcourse' date=' captain ought to be able to do it, just do it, but [b']dont feed the media. in india, media will make more stories and we have a test series where they need to play together. All MSD had to say was - "I'm glad our team did very well in Aus" - period. No need to "elaborate" to media.

I do agree that he should have been more diplomatic and respectful of his seniors when he's talking to the media. But I think that will come with more years as captain and learning the consequences of the choice of words used. I think he is still a bit raw in terms of handling the media effectively and will learn. Let us be wiser and given him space and time to learn.

[beetle]

Really ...how about saying it now when it would mean the most mr. graphics. Saying all that about a player whe he is your skipper is the done thing and exactly what one would expect from this guy. How about saying a few words about him now instead of his usual" we left out the senious and look at us now" comments at every given opportunity? Even if he feels like it...does he have to do this? obviously if he was a big man,a more grace ful man,a more secure man ...he would do that. But what else can you expect from a goat sacrificing ganwar!

[theguyinallblue]

some of the words whcih are being splashed as "BREAKING NEWS".. 1. Mujhe seniors ka bojh nahi Dhona 2. Ganguly and Dravid ki ODI team me jaroorat nahi hai.. i don't think he would say these words in Media...but you never know... Success and Power can corrupt any one..

[Ram]

MM, MSD can get a young team - but he does not have to go and talk about all this in the media. That is absolutely unnecessary. He can make his decisions in the selection meetings, and then leave it at that. This is just fodder for media, and as Rads says, a day may come when another captain may trash him(msd).

How is he not brash and arrogant? He doesn't miss one chance to put the seniors down be it his interviews or post match comments. He forgets that they are a big part of the test team which he is also a part of. Besides ...most of these youngsters were a part of the earlier team too...what stopped them from performing then. He acts as if Ganguly and Dravid are the sole reason why India didn't win as many games earlier. Does he really have to do this right before the test series. Hasn't he said it enough times already . Fans like you join him in insulting the great players.Shame on you too sriram! You are off my buddy list!:((

Its utterly frustrating for me to see the genuine efforts of a true leader, being misconstrued as being brash and arrogant. Dhoni is arrogant ? Do you guys even know what you mean by arrogance ? An arrogant captain wont volunteer to be a full time keeper, captain the side and ALSO be one of its best performing batsman, coming up with some really important performances with the bat, every time the team needs it. An arrogant captain would not have given up his free-flowing batting-style which made him so popular in the country initially, to play more sedately and responsibly, so that he could guide his team to close wins. An arrogant captain wont lose 10 lbs from the time he made his debut, so that he could improve his keeping and become, arguably, the best keeper in the world right now. An arrogant captain wont walk up to his bowler, about to bowl the last over of a big final and say " You arent that bad so as to give 12 runs in this over". And finally, an arrogant captain wont shout aloud "sabse chota kaun hain", when the winning trophy was handed out and relegate himself to the corner position of the winning moments photo. I can go on and on, but I think the message has been conveyed And really, I cant recollect ONE comment that I think Dhoni had made, in an appropriate manner against Dravid or Ganguly. All he has said is that he wants young players in the team and whats wrong with that ? I dont he has made even a single personal comment against Dravid or Ganguly. And because he has openly taken responsibility for the selection and Dravid and Ganguly have been at the receiving end of it, it looks as though he being blatantly anti-senior brigade. If that be the case, then why in the world would have campaigned for Sachin's inclusion ? There is no question of playing favorites in Dhoni's captaincy, you are in the team ONLY if you are capable of delivering what the team needs. And, quite evidently, Ganguly and Dravid have been found short in terms of matching the requirements on a ODI player and they were dropped. Its as simple as that. Its a bit funny isnt it. All you guys love controversy. Dhoni made a big mistake. Like all previous captains, he should have silently worked behind the scenes to get the seniors dropped and acted in front of the media as though he has no clue about whats going on.Then, you all could have filled the pages of this board with masala gossips of who was responsible for all these selection matters. Instead, he chose to be transparent, be assertive and took full responsibility for his actions. And what does he get in return ? Bashing by our own fans that he is "arrogant and brash". For more than a decade, I have been witness to meek Indian teams with in-imaginative and un-inspiring captains. We hardly won anything, didnt we ? Finally, I am seeing winds of change, of a confident, assertive and transparent captain and results are there for all to see. I cant recollect a more fruitful calender year for team India, than it has been, from April 2007 to March 2008 and by jove, its not merely a fortuitous phenomenon. If you have a good captain, pick and the right team and back them, you will win and thats exactly whats been happening.

[Lurker]

Reminds me of time I would travel in an Indian train and see an uncorrupt Ticket checker. A person who will make sure ticketless traveller would be booked and refused any bribe. The man basically is doing his job but is revered as if he is another version of God. Dhoni is saying/doing exactly what an average Indian fan thinks. Only those who are blind-as-a-bat-cricket-fan refuse to see that the writing is on the wall for the seniors. I loved his - message needs to be sent across. And why the hell not? The man has not only turned in great results but has been hailed by cricket experts both within India and abroad. And all this when he appears cool as a cucumber in the middle. Go Dhoni!

[Ram]

The guy's lack of education does show. That said, all I care is wins.

Ofcourse, win is a win. But you are right. It shows. as a person who flaunts and gloats and rubs it in.

What stupid, elitist comments to make! And the only that shows here is that niether have of you have played cricket at a competitive level.

[beetle]

That is pretty snobbish!

[graphic23]

I think that Dhoni is being very transparent (i.e calling a spade a spade.) Why doesn't he thank Dravid in every media conference? The same reason as to why we don't thank our parents every time we see them for all the things they've done for us. Plus he has been pretty open about the performances about the players - no matter who it is. He has to be careful when dealing with Sachin, and he was. He indirectly stated that the opening partnerships have to improve, and they did. He openly said that Rohit's run was slow, which led to his dismissal. The only thing that is against him right now is his blind trust in Yuvraj Singh, and I think that maybe more because of the pressure from Yograj and BCCI rather than his own liking for Yuvraj. He made a statement that Yuvraj would play in all the ODIs in Australia despite being in poor form. This was a controversial statement and shouldn't have been made. It ruins his credibility a bit, but apart from this, even Sachin has admitted that Dhoni has been extremely good as captain. When the team is happy, there is no need for us to imagine any internal struggles. Plus it is unfair for us to bring in his education. Dhoni has at least applied for a BCom and plans to get a degree. Sachin doesn't even have that but does it stop us from adoring him? Does it stop him from being one of the best batsmen the game has seen?

[King Tendulkar]

i like his ideas but I don't like how he speaks to the media about it. These seniors have served india for 15 years...to just say things like that is not professional.

Spot On. You have lot to prove Mr Dhoni before you can even be compared to some of the seniors like Sachin, Dravid, Kumble and even Dada and his captaincy. Dont forget Mr Dhoni your captaincy blah blah had NOTHING to do with the genius of Sachin and his brilliant knocks which won the trophy for India

[beetle]

I think that Dhoni is being very transparent (i.e calling a spade a spade.) Why doesn't he thank Dravid in every media conference? The same reason as to why we don't thank our parents every time we see them for all the things they've done for us.

:hysterical::hysterical::hysterical::hysterical:

[beetle]

I am sorry .....:P:P.......but:hysterical::hysterical:

[Ram]

That is pretty snobbish!

I am being snobbish ? Then what about the aforementioned posters, who have so conveniently decided to have a dig at Dhoni's lack of education. I suppose that isnt too graceful either, is it ? And whats education got to do here anyway? Degrees certificates and convocation gowns dont make a good cricket captain anyway.

[King Tendulkar]

I am being snobbish ? Then what about the aforementioned posters, who have so conveniently decided to have a dig at Dhoni's lack of education. I suppose that isnt too graceful either, isnt it ? And whats education got to do here anyway? Degrees certificates and convocation gowns dont make a good cricket captain anyway.

Agree with this though!

[beetle]

Agree!...education has nothing to do with it. Otherwise even his basic school education would have taught him that cutting an animal's throat has nothing to do with wishes and their fulfillment.

[Sachinism]

So true.... It's almost like he is hell bent on humiliating them.Some day his turn will come and I hope he get it back with interest.

you cant really blame him can you, its a surprise no1 has said anything before the amount of BS the media put out about players when they arent performing, when they do do well, then its time to turn the tables

[Lurker]

I think that Dhoni is being very transparent (i.e calling a spade a spade.) Why doesn't he thank Dravid in every media conference? The same reason as to why we don't thank our parents every time we see them for all the things they've done for us.

Spot on. It is a very very welcome change from the good old days of "Oh I am the luckiest captain in the world with all these seniors playing for me. I mean - Sachin, Ganguly, Kumble, VVS, Dravid, Sehwag - 5 captains!! Yipeee I am the luckiest captain ever to have such a team!" Instead the lad takes full responsibolity for his team, and also makes it very clear(even to the geriatric brigade) as to who is the boss

The only thing that is against him right now is his blind trust in Yuvraj Singh, and I think that maybe more because of the pressure from Yograj and BCCI rather than his own liking for Yuvraj. He made a statement that Yuvraj would play in all the ODIs in Australia despite being in poor form. This was a controversial statement and shouldn't have been made. It ruins his credibility a bit, but apart from this, even Sachin has admitted that Dhoni has been extremely good as captain. When the team is happy, there is no need for us to imagine any internal struggles.

I will have to disagree here. Yuvraj has been India's best player in LOI for past couple of years. Even if you argue he may not be the best he certainly ranks in top 3 so he deserves a spot. If your assertion is Yuvraj doesnt deserve a place in Test side then thats a fair argument but then you will have to question Kumble for that.

Plus it is unfair for us to bring in his education. Dhoni has at least applied for a BCom and plans to get a degree. Sachin doesn't even have that but does it stop us from adoring him? Does it stop him from being one of the best batsmen the game has seen?

What does it say about people who raise questions about other's education? I though education brought humility, guess not.

[Ram]

Agree!...education has nothing to do with it. Otherwise even his basic school education would have taught him that cutting an animal's throat has nothing to do with wishes and their fulfillment.

Aah.. teacher ji... aap bhi ? From here on, it must be made mandatory that EVERY Indian captain must have done his schooling in an Ooty convent, his UG from IIT and a post-graduate degree from Stanford. Besides that, he must speak English with an British accent and be able to give downright boring interviews and also be capable of saying nothing straight-forward and confuse the media and fans with politically correct, non-controversial statements that make no sense at all. And yes, I nearly forgot. He must also not win any matches at all.

[King Tendulkar]

Mr Dhoni has been very very stupid. Waffling on about how he got the team he wanted. Basically gloating that he was responsible for the axing of the seniors. He is in test squad now with these seniors he is gloating about getting the axe. Can make life diffiicult for you Mr Dhoni being in squad with them now. Aslo be careful as these seniors coukd get reinstated back to odi squad by selectors if they wish. You will then have to work with these seniors. All in all pretty dumb move by Dhoni to shoot his mouth of!

[Ram]

Mr Dhoni has been very very stupid. Waffling on about how he got the team he wanted. Basically gloating that he was responsible for the axing of the seniors. He is in test squad now with these seniors he is gloating about getting the axe. Can make life diffiicult for you Mr Dhoni being in squad with them now. Aslo be careful as these seniors coukd get reinstated back to odi squad by selectors if they wish. You will then have to work with these seniors. All in all pretty dumb move by Dhoni to shoot his mouth of!

I dont foresee any problem at all. This is professional cricket and when you play at a professional level, you are expected to put aside personal differences and deliver what the team/organization needs. Guys like Dravid are too classy to indulge in such cheap acts, but I have my doubts about Ganguly. He has been whining constantly to the media for the last 3 months, there is no way he is going to keep his mouth shut behind the closed doors of the dressing room. But Dhoni is a smart guy, he would have anticipated all this. He will know how to handle this.

[beetle]

Who is talking about his english? You don't need to study is prestigious schools to be a little humble and respectful.