Feed Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 Dhoni has proved a hard nut to crack in the middle-order More... Making all the right moves S. Dinakar Dhoni has proved a hard nut to crack in the middle-order WELL PLAYED: M.S. Dhoni, seen with his Sri Lankan counterpart Mahela Jayawardene, has earned the respect of his teammates and opponents. Colombo: There is something — the X factor — about Mahendra Singh Dhoni. He is a picture of equanimity on the arena yet his cricket simmers with aggression. His men get the message without Dhoni uttering a word. Even on those occasions when he defends with the willow, his methods rarely appear negative. He is a tactically sound captain but does not believe too much in theories. Perhaps, this X factor has a lot to do with confidence. Enormous self-belief Dhoni’s enormous self-belief comes through forcefully in his game. Even during stressful situations, his visage does not reflect any strain. The intensity in his cricket shines through and he does have a strong physical presence on the field. The strength in his frame, though, is bettered by the toughness of his mind. The first Wealthsurance Cup ODI at Dambulla was in the balance when Dhoni walked in. Sri Lanka was now up against a great barrier. It was Dhoni’s confidence factor at work again. Time and again, he has proved a road-block for the opposition in the middle-order. Nice blend He absorbs the pressure and responds with a blend of caution and aggression. His batting is as much about rustic inventiveness as technique. At the Rangiri Stadium on Wednesday, Dhoni moved across to work deliveries on the on-side in inimitable style and then launched into some ferocious straight drives. Apart from the confidence factor, he enjoys his cricket. Dhoni looks forward to the sniff of a combat. In other words, he does not get daunted by reputations or situations. As a captain, he is flexible with his strategy. Dhoni expected a seaming pitch at Dambulla and put Sri Lanka in. But then, there was hardly any bounce or lateral movement for his pacemen. Dhoni quickly changed track. He employed young left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha and then extracted much from his non- specialist spinners. Brilliant move The pitch was on the slower side and the normally fluent Kumar Sangakkara got bogged down. Despite Sanath Jayasuriya rolling the years back, Sri Lanka lost some momentum in the middle overs. Then, when the host opted for the batting Power Play, he brought back his frontline pacemen Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma. Sri Lanka faltered even as India gained control. These are days when Dhoni is making all the right moves. He has moved on from the days when he was ruled by impulse. Dhoni is still instinctive but has learnt to be more patient with his bowlers. And he is reading situations better. As a skipper he has earned the respect of his teammates and adversaries. And respect is a key element when you lead a side. Dhoni’s men realise that when the chips are down, their captain would play for them. He has rarely let his men down. Uncluttered In his own way, Dhoni is authoritative without being rude. Deep down, he remains a simple boy from Ranchi who was unfazed by the big, boldlights of the city. His mind is uncluttered, so is his cricket. Dhoni has plenty of unfinished business left in the on-going ODI series. The Lankans could come back hard and there is some concern over Virender Sehwag’s fitness. Yet, as the Indian team journeyed from Dambulla to Colombo in the afternoon, the skipper and his men were not short of one attribute — confidence. We enter the Dhoni territory again. Link to comment
jf1gp_1 Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 he also is our No 1 ODI batsman, game after game he walks out into a tricky situations and wins it for us. Link to comment
EnterTheVoid Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 I don't fully understand the technicalities of the tactics / strategies / field placements etc, but a good read nonetheless Link to comment
Predator_05 Posted January 31, 2009 Share Posted January 31, 2009 What a captain. India win, but he still looks worried. Reminds everyone that India haven't won the series yet. Highlights India's faults instead of the usual, "yezzzzzz, boys played well, what a comeback blah blah". This attitude rubs off on Ishant too - who just made the saddest Motm acceptance speech in the history of international cricket. He is always keeping his players on their toes and they are never satisfied unless they play a near-perfect game. You can see why India are so successful under Dhoni. Link to comment
flamy Posted January 31, 2009 Share Posted January 31, 2009 What a captain. India win, but he still looks worried. Reminds everyone that India haven't won the series yet. Highlights India's faults instead of the usual, "yezzzzzz, boys played well, what a comeback blah blah". This attitude rubs off on Ishant too - who just made the saddest Motm acceptance speech in the history of international cricket. He is always keeping his players on their toes and they are never satisfied unless they play a near-perfect game. You can see why India are so successful under Dhoni. :giggle: lol damn i missed tat Link to comment
Ram Posted January 31, 2009 Share Posted January 31, 2009 What a captain. India win, but he still looks worried. Reminds everyone that India haven't won the series yet. Highlights India's faults instead of the usual, "yezzzzzz, boys played well, what a comeback blah blah". This attitude rubs off on Ishant too - who just made the saddest Motm acceptance speech in the history of international cricket. He is always keeping his players on their toes and they are never satisfied unless they play a near-perfect game. You can see why India are so successful under Dhoni. :two_thumbs_up: Link to comment
satishg Posted January 31, 2009 Share Posted January 31, 2009 this guy is special..he was born to lead India and take Indian cricket to new heights..seriously he is gonna be our best captain ever Link to comment
DomainK Posted January 31, 2009 Share Posted January 31, 2009 Great man. Its great to see that Ishant was not really happy taking the MOM....he was not satisfied with his performance. This team under Dhoni want to get better and better. Link to comment
Predator_05 Posted January 31, 2009 Share Posted January 31, 2009 We played good cricket and but we need to be even better when playing a team like India." - Mahela Jayawardene Who's your daddy ?? Link to comment
Guest BossBhai Posted January 31, 2009 Share Posted January 31, 2009 -- Removed on request of the user -- Link to comment
Predator_05 Posted January 31, 2009 Share Posted January 31, 2009 SL must really hate MSD from the bottom of their guts ... :winky: An old post i made when India last played SL in the ODIs a few months ago; BREAKING NEWS In a new sponsorship deal aimed at broadening it's market in the subcontinent, diaper-maker "Huggies" has signed a lucrative contract with the Sri Lankan cricket team. The contract stipulates that the diaper-making company will provide diapers free of charge to the Sri Lankan bowlers and fielders throughout their one-day international series against India. Mahila Jayawardene, the Sri Lankan captain, expressed his delight about the recently concluded deal; "This is fantastic news for us. Our bowlers have been unable to stop their urine leakage whenever they had to confront Mahendra Singh Dhoni and other Indian batsmen. By wearing Huggies diapers, we will be able to concentrate against him a little easier and who knows, maybe we might even get him out every now and then !" Coach Trevor Bayliss was even more delighted; "Dhoni has been ravaging our crappy bowling attack for years now and the mere sight of him makes our bowlers soil themselves. We believe that wearing diapers will allow our bowlers to overcome this mental block." The Indian team declined to comment, as they were too busy busting their guts laughing after their emphatic victory over SL. Maharoof must have been wearing Huggies today. Link to comment
Guest BossBhai Posted January 31, 2009 Share Posted January 31, 2009 -- Removed on request of the user -- Link to comment
Dark Warrior Posted January 31, 2009 Share Posted January 31, 2009 What a captain. India win, but he still looks worried. Reminds everyone that India haven't won the series yet. Highlights India's faults instead of the usual, "yezzzzzz, boys played well, what a comeback blah blah". This attitude rubs off on Ishant too - who just made the saddest Motm acceptance speech in the history of international cricket. He is always keeping his players on their toes and they are never satisfied unless they play a near-perfect game. You can see why India are so successful under Dhoni. what did ishant speak?? Link to comment
Guest Hiten. Posted January 31, 2009 Share Posted January 31, 2009 what did ishant speak?? Ishant is the Man of the Match for his 4 for 57. "Not really my best performance. I had decided exactly where to bowl in my last over. I knew the slower ball was my strength." Link to comment
Guest dada_rocks Posted January 31, 2009 Share Posted January 31, 2009 Freaking diaper.. hwo do u socks come up with these marvel Link to comment
Guest dada_rocks Posted January 31, 2009 Share Posted January 31, 2009 :two_thumbs_up:44.3 Maharoof to Dhoni, OUT, Dhoni walks!! That was bowled outside leg stump and Dhoni tried to glance it down fine, got a faint tickle to the keeper which the umpire failed to spot. Dhoni, though, set off for the pavilion immediately and Brian Jerling gave the nod seeing him go Link to comment
flamy Posted January 31, 2009 Share Posted January 31, 2009 :two_thumbs_up:44.3 Maharoof to Dhoni' date=' OUT, Dhoni walks!! That was bowled outside leg stump and Dhoni tried to glance it down fine, got a faint tickle to the keeper which the umpire failed to spot. Dhoni, though, set off for the pavilion immediately and Brian Jerling gave the nod seeing him go[/quote'] :hysterical::hysterical::hysterical::hysterical: According to Dan, this is all the genius of Dhoni's PR team. :cantstop: You knew that'd come back to bite u Dan :icflove: Link to comment
Predator_05 Posted January 31, 2009 Share Posted January 31, 2009 :two_thumbs_up:44.3 Maharoof to Dhoni' date=' OUT, Dhoni walks!! That was bowled outside leg stump and Dhoni tried to glance it down fine, got a faint tickle to the keeper which the umpire failed to spot. Dhoni, though, set off for the pavilion immediately and Brian Jerling gave the nod seeing him go[/quote'] Dhoni should have NEVER walked. No player should ever walk, even if he knows he is out. The umpire is there for a reason - he is the guy who gets paid to give these decisions. Leave it to the umpire to decide whether a batsman is out or not. Link to comment
Mr. Wicket Posted January 31, 2009 Share Posted January 31, 2009 Nah, Pred, it could be the first step in a master plan. Dhoni practices his walking, then does it on the big stage like the World Cup or the World T20 in a crunch match. Everyone lauds him to the heavens. He then publishes a book sold purely by a ridiculous title like "Walking to Victory" further adding to notions of his honesty and purity of soul, then capitalizes forever more by jumping and screaming "WAAAAAAAAAAH" every time a ball passes a bat, while stressing in interviews with the press over his impending sainthood that he only appeals when it's out. BTW, what did I miss in the MOTM speech? Link to comment
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