Dhoni Defends His Selection of Players..

[f.b.m]

good point' date=' hes turning into quite a unlikeable bloke by the day[/quote'] I say Ganguly good... Ganguly god.... Do I become likeable now? C:

[graphic23]

to me Dhoni was trying to give it back to the media more than the seniors. He has been a good captain so far & hopefully he will learn to a avoid SANSANI statements soon. But while everybody is saying good stuff about RD , SG , SRT , VVS , AK etc ...I will tell u that all these guys lost a bit of respect when none of them reported match fixing that was happening behind the scenes. I think that blunder was far worse than any statement any future captain could ever make.

I don't think they knew personally. I read in Cricinfo once that the match fixing stuff did not come into play as long as Sachin was on the field. Only after he was out did they start betting. I don't think any of the aforementioned players knew that Azhar was match fixing. Especially Sachin because during this period, he shared several 100-200 run partnerships with Sachin (against SA when Sachin made that awesome 169, etc. ) so I don't think even in their wildest dreams they would've imagined Azhar to have been match fixing. Dravid, Ganguly, et. al weren't in the ODI teams back them (at least not regularly until the 1999 world cup, which is when it got out). To doubt that these guys would've wanted to take money, etc. is not wise; i think given how much they've given to the country.

[Desi Cartman]

I don't think they knew personally. I read in Cricinfo once that the match fixing stuff did not come into play as long as Sachin was on the field. Only after he was out did they start betting. I don't think any of the aforementioned players knew that Azhar was match fixing. Especially Sachin because during this period, he shared several 100-200 run partnerships with Sachin (against SA when Sachin made that awesome 169, etc. ) so I don't think even in their wildest dreams they would've imagined Azhar to have been match fixing. Dravid, Ganguly, et. al weren't in the ODI teams back them (at least not regularly until the 1999 world cup, which is when it got out). To doubt that these guys would've wanted to take money, etc. is not wise; i think given how much they've given to the country.

im not saying that they were involved but ofcourse they knew .. when I could see that Mongia and Azhar were running out at crucial times .. when I could see those things happening I wonder how the now called seniors missed it and yes SRT , RD & SG all have played under Azhar ... (im not sure about VVS ). I read on tehelka transcripts that it has been happening in Sharjah for a very long time .. I don't believe that these guys didn't know about it. The reason Im mentioning this is to just make a point "none of them are GOD .. they have all done mistakes and maybe later learnt from those mistakes " in this case the mistakes were far bigger than the a stupid statement made by Dhoni.

[graphic23]

Not to hijack this thread but I feel that was the darkest time in the history of cricket. Particularly for us, when we had been so faithful towards the team, and especially Azhar. He would've been one of the greatest captains instead of one who doesn't even come into the picture when we talk about good captains. There was even a time that the BCCI was thinking of pardoning him from his life ban, but I'm glad they didn't. He doesn't deserve any bit of public sympathy - it wasn't a case of making the team lose, it was betrayal of the entire nation. :( Anyways, back to the original topic. I have nothing to add anymore. I think we've kinda reached a stagnated point in the debate.

[beetle]

I think a lot of misunderstood what many of us are trying to say. First off let's reaffirm the point that we love and respect Dhoni. He's proven to be a brilliant captain, and excellent wicketkeeper, as well as a reliable and intellgent batsmen. What we have a problem with is his tendency to speak his mind a little TOO much...and that makes a negative impact on the team. Remember the game where he was run out because of a mix up with Rohit Sharma? He publically shamed him....the man is on his first away tour and that too a tour of Australia. Tremendous pressure on him, and Dhoni chooses to roast him in public. You never, EVER leave a team mate out to dry in public, no matter what happens. EVER. Having captained sides in the past I can't stress ENOUGH how important this point is. Secondly in this interview, he's entitled to his "I told you so's" and "I showed ya's". What was the need to say "But sometimes it is very important to send the message across, because sometimes people neglect the answer:" What? Who neglects the answer? Why can't dada make a comeback to the team and who is Dhoni to put an obstacle in his path? Last time I checked, team India is still faltering at the top of the order. Ganguly is still very much in the picture in my books. What bothers me is his attitude sometimes. He could have easily said...."well, a lot of people were doubting us..and now we won the CB series. I hope that proves the point...this team can do well, is talented..etc etc. Why bring up the seniors when you know it's a touchy subject? These very seniors, Dhoni, are the ones that fast tracked you into the indian team. Remember when Ganguly said...yeh ladka...mujhse isko chahiye...remember that? The bottom line is there is no harm in speaking from the heart and speaking your mind. The key is to remember your roots and pay homage to them, and not to crumple them as you set out to conquer another obstacle.

Top post!

[umpire]

Message to Dhoni Dude, you are doing great job at ODI level. But what about Tests? Dhoni could have saved us two overseas test had he just stayed for over or two. Remember in Durban we lost the Test in dying minutes. Dhoni played courageous knock but got out at the wrong time. I wish he had carried us through. Similarly in Sydney, he should have carried on and saved the game. Dhoni we want you take responsibility in Tests.

[umpire]

Dhoni should never forget this experience. That lost us 2 games. Remember how SRT cried when we lost that Chennai test out of no where.

[Chandan]

This is the problem with you guys, you have totally misinterpreted Dhoni's motive. You see his moves to drop guys like Dravid and Ganguly as an anti-senior move, and its anything but. Its a pro-India move. There senior were proving to be an unbearable liability in ODIs and if India were to win, they have to dropped, there is no other alternative. How else could Dhoni possibly portray his motives to media, rather than say he wanted a young team ? This isnt being brash, this is being transparent and that is exactly what you want from a leader. In the past, when multiple Indian captains played favorites with certain team members and had them on the team despite repeated poor performance, no one raised a finger-nail in protest. Now, when the newest and most assertive and articulate Indian captain ever takes some tough calls in the team's interest, everyone is inexplicably angered by his arrogance. Dont mistake transparency with arrogance. Dhoni is a confident leader, an assertive leader but not an arrogant one.

Sorry MM. I don't agree. There is absolutely no need to be transparent with media. Be transparent with your team mates, but media doesn't come anywhere in it. It is called being a loudmouth. As far as I have seen, we defeated the Australians in 5 matches in last 6 months. And in at least 4 of them, Sachin, another senior, was the main factor. I'm still not convinced that this this team can be consistent enough. Dhoni is talking as if he won a WC with this team. Why was he getting so rankled at the criticisms? Isn't he exposing one of his weaknesses here, which can be exploited? And let us see how this team performs, when Sachin opts out of a few matches vs Australia!!

[Vignesh]

Yup Dhoni who feels Yongsters are the key should prove it himself as he is still a youngster in Indias test squad.........He may be VC but He is a youngster when it comes to tests

[Vignesh]

. As far as I have seen, we defeated the Australians in 5 matches in last 6 months. And in at least 4 of them, Sachin, another senior, was the main factor.

Well the Fact Of The Matter is Sachin Is The Youngest Of The Seniors and the most experienced International Cricketer that there is today in world cricket...Plus Sachin is a far more athletic between the wickets than Ganguly n dravid and also VERY VERY SLOW Laxman....That is the reason dhoni opted for sachin on the OZ tour...

[Chandan]

We'll see what his team does against Australia when Sachin opts out!!

[Vignesh]

Sachin Will Never Opt Out If He Feels The Team Needs Him

[fineleg]

Sorry MM. I don't agree. There is absolutely no need to be transparent with media. Be transparent with your team mates' date= but media doesn't come anywhere in it. It is called being a loudmouth. As far as I have seen, we defeated the Australians in 5 matches in last 6 months. And in at least 4 of them, Sachin, another senior, was the main factor. a!!

exactly Chandan, be transparent 1-1 with players, dont say these to media.

[theguyinallblue]

Dhoni is still young...at 26..i think he is not mature enough to understand few things.. i am sure he will regret this act when he crosses 30.. but he withstand the criticism alone..But things could have been conveyed more subtly.. i am sure he will learn with time..but he definitely lost a lot of respect and good will in public... don't know how Kumble will repair the damaged relations...as he is the captain now and these players will play under him... i think sparing a day for himself to revisit his childhood and his struggle will do no harm to Dhoni and probably will help him keep his foot rooted to the ground..

[iluvbrettlee]

No one should have a problem with Dhoni, it is proved now after winning the series that his decision to leave dravid & ganguly out of them team for ODI's was right and so was the decision to take a young team for the ODI's. I am proud of this new team! First time I enjoyed indian cricket because of these youngsters Dhoni has brought in the team! I was bored of seeing the same old playes. Wise Decision Dhoni......All the best for the future!! and no offence I don't think he has anything against Dravid or Ganguly

[King Tendulkar]

Reactions from experts and former players TIMES NOW Cricket Experts believe that Dhoni has missed out on Sachin Tendulkar's crucial innings in the finals of the CB series. Reacting to these recent remarks by Dhoni, they said that he is likely to get away with these comments because india does not feature is any major One-day series in the near future. They believe that this argument is baseless and it may just backfire at him, if things within the team go wrong. Dhoni's victory allowed him to make such comments on his team's performance, but if India would have failed Down Under it could have been a tough time for him, a fact that Dhoni himself admits. The experts added that Sachin Tendulkar's performance and the bowling was the huge contributing factor towards India's historic win Down Under. This should not be forgotten by Dhoni. According to experts, barring for Gautam Gambhir, the other young batsmen failed to be consistent in the ODI series, which highlights a major flaw in Dhoni's comments. Former Indian captain Ajit Wadekar commented on this debate and said that there are chances that Dhoni has been misquoted in this case, because no captain would make such comments especially against players whom he has seen as a budding cricketer. He said, "It Dhoni's comments are true then there is not necessary to show disrespect towards seniors. I don't think the seniors will be affected by these comments and I believe the dressing room atmosphere will not be hampered. However, the present generation should respect the seniors, who have contributed towards the game of cricket." Reacting to the on-going debate between the juniors and seniors, spurred recently by Indian ODI skipper MS Dhoni, Former Indian cricketer -- Bishen Singh Bedi said, " I won't say anything to Dhoni's comments, I would wait and watch if he meant what he said. I think in the fairness of the game, Dhoni should be given sometime. There is a possibility that this controversy may affect the dressing room but I hope that does not happen. Dhoni has displayed immaturity and he needs to curb his outburst. There is no harm in keeping quiet."

[DomainK]

He is a good player and I am sure these failures are registered in his mind and that he is working on them. Uncle Kirsten has a role to play immediately.

[beetle]

STFU and don't create bad blood in the test team. Wahan to abhi bachche ho.....

[Lurker]

What we have a problem with is his tendency to speak his mind a little TOO much...

And why do you have a problem with his tendency to speak his mind?? Isnt it amazing how you want him to behave in a certain way that is perhaps truer to your way of life than his? What Dhoni's critics are conviniently forgetting is that maybe Dhoni's utterance is all natural and there is no bragging here. Everyone is different and every top player at the end of the day is human. Every human has a certain way he does things. Ganguly was a hard ass who took off his shirt at Lords balcony. Dravid was the captain who chose to go in "hiding" after India got its a$$ handed over to them in the World Cup. Those incidents were very true to them in real life. Ganguly fights for his place in Indian side and often fought against the opponents too. Dravid is a silent kinda guy who walks away, often when he should not. Dhoni is the person who keeps his silence till he is asked a questioned, or needled in the middle. In my memory of two decades I know that Australian team will ALWAYS target the opposition captain. They have done it to everyone from Atherton to Sachin, Lara to Inzamam. And how fascinating, surprising indeed brilliant is the fact that even this harda$$ Australian team did NOT go after Dhoni!! That tells me very clearly they know the lad is not the one to be needled. I hope his Indian "critics" also see that. xxx

[Ram]

Beets is angry with Dhoni because he dropped Rahul from the ODI team.. Now, she is afraid Dravid may be forced out of the test team too... which is why all this " test team is perfect...." lines.. :D