Dhondy's Bloopers

[Dhondy]

Yes, there's one person on this forum who should give up all pretence of being a cricket expert, and accept that his reading of cricket is about on the same plane as his grandma's. And she didn't waste half her life following the game from a couch. Unfortunately, that person am I. Sample these bloopers. 1. Verdict: Tendulkar has lost it and should be replaced by Pathan in the line-up. Reality: Tendulkar remains India's best batsman, and scored in three of the four Tests in Australia against a very good bowling attack, finding different ways to counter the varied skills of Lee, Johnson Clark and Hogg, ending up with nearly 500 runs in the series. 2. Verdict: Triple S will take India to the top. RP and Sreesanth should be selected ahead of Zaheer in the side. Reality: Neither RP Singh, nor Sreesanth have lived up to their early promise on the unforgiving tracks of India. One need only compare what the underrated Srinath achieved on these barren pitches to appreciate that they will be rated behind him when all's said and done. The truth is that a bowler is nothing without control. Both RP and Sreesanth lacked control and could not build up pressure, punctuating good deliveries with several ill-directed ones. Zaheer's control and relentless accuracy, which has transformed him from a mediocre bowler to a very good one, was sadly missed. It didn't help that both bowlers were down on speed. If you are going to run in and trundle at 82 mph, you'd better be precise with your direction. Mediocre. Three wickets in the series versus 26 by the South African quicks tells its own story. 3. Verdict: Praveen Kumar kind of bowlers don't have a future in Test cricket. Reality: Incorrect. If in doubt, look at Chaminda Vaas' career. Three hundred plus wickets picked up on the docile tracks of the subcontinent at an average south of thirty, aided by nothing but laser like accuracy and a modicum of swing suggests that there's life outside the rarefied air inhabited by speed demons. PK, as correctly pointed out by Amit, has a fantastic domestic record. We repeatedly wrote him off in the ODIs in Australia, and he confounded us by blowing away the Aussie top order again and again. If there's one thing where I have erred, is in putting speed before accuracy. I was wrong. PK deserves a chance, and the Indian selectors have erred in leaving him out of the all-important third Test. 4. Verdict: Harbhajan doesn't have a future. Reality: Harbhajan has the best figures of this series on tracks that haven't favoured spin and deserves a place in the side, given the absolute dearth of bowling quality in this series. He should however not be selected overseas on all but the most spin friendly tracks. Like all charlatans who occasionally get things right, I've had my share of luck as well. Going by my recent record, I'd have to say that these were probably the equivalent of a coin landing the right way. Thus, Sehwag's recall was richly deserved, Dravid is a shadow of his former self and should be the first among the fab-four to be benched, incapable of anything more than the occasional fifty against world class attacks, and I genuinely believe Yuvraj would be a potent force on subcontinental tracks and deserves to be selected at home. I also believe that Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma have decided that discretion is better than patriotism and overplayed their injuries to stay in fine fettle for IPL. Wait till that first IPL match, and see how those injuries magically resolve. India have been condemned to the doghouse without these two. I only wish we had suitable replacements for those who put lucre before country. Oh, and I was right about Indian selectors being jokers. Recalls for Munaf Patel and Powar are the equivalent of a scriptwriter in the 21st century tailoring a mafia whodunnit with Marlon Brando in mind. These two are deader than dead. No resurrection, this.

[King]

Good on you for coming up wth this but I've not known anyone that can read the game or a player perfectly ever. Sports is unpredictable and tactics usually are a hit and miss.

[Mr. Wicket]

Nobody gets everything right. Ever. So you got a few wrong. Big deal. As for the Triple S, give them time. They were disappointing this series, but they're in their early 20s and have lots of time ahead of them. As for Harbhajan, perhaps the selectors were right about him and he'll actually start to mature and develop with time? Let's see how their gamble on Munaf and Powar turns out too. (As for not being an authority on cricket, bullsh*t. You understand and appreciate the nuances of the game far better than 99% of the folks on this board or others that I read. And it's nice to see some people have the grace to also admit when they're wrong, rather than trying to constantly defend themselves down a losing path where they're constantly proved wrong.)

[Cricketics]

wait up.. why would they pick Powar? Is kumble willing to step down from third test after having two poor games? or is he willing to drop Harbhajan singh, the most successuful bowler of India in this series? or is he willing to play 3 spinners?? i mean why thge heck will u pick ramesh powar at this time?? and Dhondy, good on u mate to bring urself up and gree on things that favored ur predictions and that didn't favor.. i like this honesty.. by the same account, i would also like to mention that u shoudn't write Munaf off as of now.. none of the two pacers Sree and Rp mange to impress anyone.. so Munaf might just do.. so calling selectors "Jokers" just for picking Munaf isn't the rite way.. yaa u can call them jokers for dropping RP.. and i hope this is not a long term idea of selectors to drop RP.. this is just his one bad series..

[jf1gp_1]

3. Verdict: Praveen Kumar kind of bowlers don't have a future in Test cricket. 4. Verdict: Harbhajan doesn't have a future.

You might want to review the above two. Let praveen kumar play a few test before coming to any conclusion. We already have pathan do we need another one ? In a game where opposition scores 500+ and you get 5 wickets then Kaneria is the champ not bhaji.

[talksport]

I still remember the one sentence you wrote before Melbourne Test about not picking "Ishtant Sharma"

[Cricketics]

I also believe that Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma have decided that discretion is better than patriotism and overplayed their injuries to stay in fine fettle for IPL. Wait till that first IPL match, and see how those injuries magically resolve. India have been condemned to the doghouse without these two. I only wish we had suitable replacements for those who put lucre before country. .

and with no clear evidence.. i am sure it's not the right way to point Sharma and Zaheer out as the two unpatriotic sportsman.. Specially Sharma, he would come come down saying the same way as zaheer said that he wasn't fit for this series.. but he was picked later for 2nd test.. it's just that he was ruled out again on the eve of the 2nd test.. and here he is, again in reckoning for the third test.. and do u have the same feelings then for Tendulkar? is he being un patriotic too then?

[vroomfondel]

dhonds, too early to tell on all your 'verdicts' except perhaps (1), so there is hope for you yet. methinks SSS, and Kumble were very jaded. And I still think Bhajji sucks. He darts them in like a bloody part-timer you were unequivocally correct on sehwag, while I was very much part of the 'can he score against himachal?' crowd. as for Powar (cover for injured Kumble), makes no sense -- we would have 2 ROB, would have prefered LOB like Ojha or Kartik (injured?)

[Holysmoke]

wait up.. why would they pick Powar? Is kumble willing to step down from third test after having two poor games? or is he willing to drop Harbhajan singh, the most successuful bowler of India in this series? or is he willing to play 3 spinners?? i mean why thge heck will u pick ramesh powar at this time?? .

Kumble injury?

[Guest Hiten.]

Yes, there's one person on this forum who should give up all pretence of being a cricket expert, and accept that his reading of cricket is about on the same plane as his grandma's. And she didn't waste half her life following the game from a couch. Unfortunately, that person am I. Sample these bloopers. 1. Verdict: Tendulkar has lost it and should be replaced by Pathan in the line-up. Reality: Tendulkar remains India's best batsman, and scored in three of the four Tests in Australia against a very good bowling attack, finding different ways to counter the varied skills of Lee, Johnson Clark and Hogg, ending up with nearly 500 runs in the series.

I was actually so frustrated after the early WC exit, I targeted SRT for some absurd reasons. I actually went on to think that BIG 3 should be dumped out of the team. Well, RD and SG are done and dusted in ODI's, but SRT is still as important to the Indian line up as he was during the WC 2003. Anyways, enough flashbacks. It is very modest of you coming out and admitting mistakes. :top: Bhajji has been successful in this series because of the faith he has invested on flighting the ball. He is not trying to bowl any 90+ kmph deliveries, which are suited for T20 cricket. Moreover, he is using his doosra quite wisely and effectively. Kumble has been our biggest failure (so far) in this series. I really hope AK, 'spins' us to victory in Kanpur.

[Dhondy]

Being an old fart, who can't stop voicing his opinions, I believe that among many areas where SA showed more resourcefulness and thought than India, one was brought out nicely by Steyn when he pointed out the importance of the "follow-up ball". In his case, it was bounce-bounce-push the batsman back-pitch it up, or even spray-spray-spray merrily- slip in the deadly accurate outswinger to Dravid. In England, we saw Zaheer with his inswinger-inswinger-outswinger with pretty much the same action that confounded the English. PK showed it in Australia in the ODIs with his ability to move the ball both ways, Ishant was wonderful with the full one punctuating the ones to the body or the straighter one interrupting his usual induckers. This is where RP Singh and Sreesanth were found wanting. They sinmply didn't have the control to set up batsmen with their variations, nor the pace to push them back like Steyn did. Thus, their best deliveries were one-offs rather than part of a carefully woven mesh meant to ensnare the batsmen. If there's one message this Test drove home, it's that without control you are toast.

[Rohip]

Funny thread, you make Shoaib look shy and retiring and like someone who knows what he's talking about

[retterimp]

I dont see what the big deal is about coming up with useless predictions. They are just that, predictions, which can go right or wrong. They will neither cause our team to win more often nor cause the selectors to change their decisions. I see that it's just used to bloat your ego if you get them right, but other than that, I dont see any benefit. I for one hate making predictions cause it doesnt serve any purpose other than in getting into fruitless arguments Just enjoy the game for what it is dammit!

[Gambit]

Don't beat yourself over it Dhondy. Most of us claim to be cricket experts but the game has a knack of humbling us quite regularly. Atleast your bloopers might turn out to be great predictions as they are ongoing. Mine are just downright embarassing! Here is a list of my bloopers: Ryan Sidebottom is a swinging conditions bully and is essentially useless. Said this during India's tour of England). This guy is now in the top 10 list! Australia won't win the 2003 World Cup. (after they dropped SRW) Australia most definitely won't win the 2007 World Cup. Ashish Nehra will be the greatest Indian bowler ever. Tendulkar will never make a hundred again.(said during Pak series last year) May SRT's career RIP(after WC 2007) Anil Kumble's passport should be burnt and he should never be allowed to travel on overseas tours. (circa 2002) India will get thrashed 4-0 in OZ. (2003-04 series) This South Africa series should be a walkover. :nervous:

[Bumper]

Everyone here have had their fair share of bloopers. 1) I dont believe RPS was fit enough to last a test, forget two. His form is directly proportional to his fitness. Not surprised that he wasnt a force in the two tests. And i always believed Sreesanth was a bit overrated (& still do so). Sree has to do more at the test level to be so praise worthy. 2) Am not sold on Bhajji yet. He did pick wickets, but at what price ? I dont value 4fers, 5 fers when your opponent is piling 400s & 500s. I really believe if Kumble were fitter, he'd not have left much for Bhajji to cleanup. For the rope he has been given, Bhajji has to win a few test matches on his own to deserve further backing. I wouldnt write off our bowlers after a couple of tests. Chennai was a road, Ahmedabad was a test of our bowler's fitness. They've done well in Australia, they are allowed an off series. In the long term, am not worried about our bowling attack.

[Cricketics]

Kumble injury?

read my post again.. i am asking, why would one pick a spinner rite now in this series

[Guest Hiten.]

Tendulkar will never make a hundred again.(said during Pak series last year) May SRT's career RIP(after WC 2007)

...and I thought I was the only SRT fan of being an ignorant ba$tard who went on to curse Tendulkar after India's abysmal WC performance. Phew, a sigh of relief!! :P I (try to) kick my nuts everytime SRT proves my 'prediction' wrong (after the WC) :D

[Holysmoke]

read my post again.. i am asking' date=' why would one pick a spinner rite now in this series[/quote'] Because we want to go in with 2 spinners in case Kumble doesnt pass the fitness test before Kanpur.

[Predator_05]

Don't worry about it Dhondy. Most people here are wrong far more often than you are.

[Sachinism]

harbhajan is still not all that IMO