MSD: Complete Captain

[flamy]

Dhoni has had a dream start to his captaincy winning some very important tours and elevating India to the cream of the cricketing fraternity. It says something about a man when he goes out to play every game to win and keep the trust of a billion people on his shoulders. But, that is only just the beginning. Different people have opined about his ability to keep his cool in pressure-cooker situations and coming out trumps. He has the uncanny ability to inspire not just his countrymen, but also a motley crew of cricketers as witnessed in the IPL. He is a true leader of men and he compounds this natural ability with excellent cricketing acumen pulling out some curious plays that has us fans analysing his motives. Today, however we have seen yet another impressive side of our captain. True character and adversity and all that, he has kept his head high after this loss and there is no reason to feel ashamed. This is why we love sport. There is always the chance of one moment making a difference. And that moment came when Sri Lanka made the decision of hiding Mendis from India till the finals came. The beauty and uncertainty of facing an unorthodox bowler such as Mendis is what makes cricket exciting for fans of the sport. Cricket is a team sport where one person can win a game for the team. Today, India were bamboozled by the Mendis Menace. It was India vs Mendis. And as much as it hurts us, it was heartening to see Dhoni look at the lighter side of things and banter with Mendis and the other Sri Lankans at the end-of-the-match handshakes. Dhoni doesn't mince words at the presentation ceremony when he says Mendis was the difference and that each and every Indian batter was flabbergasted by Mendis' brilliance. The one person that made the difference. And no one had an answer. And no one will know this better than the Sri Lankan camp when they look at a certain Mahenda Singh Dhoni. They will recall now, with a wry smile the 183* that another untested player just making his way into world cricket announced his arrival on the world stage with. Much like Mendis put himself on the world cricket map today. It was tit-for-tat by Sri Lanka. One surpise for another. Touche. :hatsoff:

[Gambit]

Good post. He is probably the most likeable, level headed and assertive captains we've had for quite some time. These losses will only make his resolve steelier and he will ensure that his and our team come back better prepared and with a vengeance.

[satishg]

ok so wat do you want him to say that our batsmen lost the game..ofcourse Mendis won the game for them and its quite evident from his bowling figures..Dhoni is a gud captain but then praising him after every loss in the final :dontknow:

[flamy]

It is his composure dude. We were thoroughly outplayed by Mendis today. Contrast his reactions with how our previous captains have reacted when they lost an important match. I believe it is best that Dhoni faces some hard failures early in his career. The way his captaincy has started we all expect him to have a Midas touch. Let us see how he does from now.

[Predator_05]

An awesome captain and an incredible ODI batsman. I wouldn't swap him for anyone else in the world. The guy has held a batting average of 45+ over a period of 130 games, which is pretty amazing. I'd like to see him score a few more in Test cricket though, i'm sure he could do better. He is now India's #1 wicket-keeper batsman - Dinesh Karthik, i'm sorry to say, is out of the frame - so there is no pressure on him anymore.

[Sachinism]

good write up

[Dhondy]

Wow, Flamy, those are some very good points, made brilliantly, buried under a mountain of trash I had to go through today, hence missed until now. Dhoni is an awesome cricketer, period. He'll stand and fight long after others have given up. And he won't brood after a loss, he'll just go out and do it again. He'll perform in Tests. it's just a matter of time.

[DomainK]

Very well said. Agree 100% with every word.

[The Outsider]

Very good write up. His consistency with the bat has been extraordinary - the last time he was dismissed for a score less than 24 was a good 22 ODIs back. I doubt many batsmen can boast that kind of a consistent run.

[Sachinism]

Very good write up. His consistency with the bat has been extraordinary - the last time he was dismissed for a score less than 24 was a good 22 ODIs back. I doubt many batsmen can boast that kind of a consistent run.

and that too against some good sides

[sharma]

thing is he plays responsibly and doesnt give away his wicket ever - no freebies

[flamy]

Yes, his batting has completely transformed, if you consider his infamous stint in the WC 2007. It must be said, he was the only batsmen to have not been owned by Dhoni. :hatsoff: With all that, let us discuss what his mistakes were today. Dhoni has mesmerised all of us so much so that we forget he too is human. :regular_smile: 1. Sending Yuvi into the firing line of Mendis. (Although, I doubt Yuvi could've escaped Mendis for long) 2. If he was responsible for the "plan" of attacking Mendis, it must be said it was the stupidest ever, seeing how Sehwag and Raina displayed their foolsmanship. 3. Not tightening the noose when SL were at 66 for 4 and going for the kill. Although, I have my doubts what he could've done when Jayasurya was in that mood. Also, the RP drop catch helped. 4. Persisting with the woeful Pathan and Uthappa. While I can somehow tolerate Pathan, Uthappa was just a walking wicket.

[desitiger]

This is the biggest pile of sycophantic BS i've seen after a loss.:haha: So now we need to be happy that dhoni was composed ebuf not to cry. And why the f'k wud the lankans care abt 183 whatever. That was an inconsequential match. This was the asia cup, dumbo.:hysterical:

[flamy]

If you want to wallow in depression, you are welcome, mon ami.

[desitiger]

If you want to wallow in depression' date=' you are welcome, mon ami. [/quote'] i'm enjoying this :-D

[flamy]

i'm enjoying this :-D

hahaha, there should be a "brawl room" section to this forum. But, till then enliven your days by staying on my tail. :mama:

[desitiger]

hahaha' date=' there should be a "brawl room" section to this forum. But, till then enliven your days by staying on my tail. :mama:[/quote'] You can't help it can u? :--D

[flamy]

Happy Birthday to Dhoni!! :cake: :beer: :elefant:

[Laaloo]

hmm, no yuvi fans here?

[punjabi_khota]

hmm' date=' no yuvi fans here?[/quote'] *Raises hands *. But I figured its not the right time to speak.:winky: