Don't Go Overboard

[Dhondy]

Yes, Dhoni was defensive and cost us that game. He also cost us a Test match victory at Wellington. But that's what carrying the expectations of a billion people does to you. None of you will ever know because you will never come close to anything like it. There will be reams and reams of analysis, lots of emotion, recriminations. I hope three hard truths come out because that's all India will take home with her. 1. You can't fear defeat in sport. Play to win under all circumstances, don't succumb to a risk free approach, and if you have enough good players, you will win. It's tough for Dhoni right now, but he is a big boy. I am sure he'll learn. 2. IPL has not contributed anything to Indian cricket. It has hidden stark blemishes, led to injuries and deskilled the world champions in the very form of the game that it showcases. I hope BCCI think long and hard about eviscerating the golden goose. 3. Rohit & Raina are not ready for international cricket. I had my reservations about these two, and the last two matches have brought home the bitter truth. If you can't play the short ball, you are toast. And that's in any form of cricket. Get back to the basics and sort your flaws out.

[Dirty_South]

Excellent post.:hatsoff:

[Guest gaurav_indian]

^^ Good thread.But you know there are some jokers here who always show their faces here whenever india loses and create BS threads.

[King]

Agree with 1 and 3 but not with 2. Bopara has gone notches above since IPL so has Bravo. They have lauded IPL for their recent performances. I think IPL can't be held responsible for players inability to play good cricket consistently.

[Anakin]

Dhoni's tactical skills were found out, but hopefully he'll work on this. I just hope his batting isn't lost forever.

[flamy]

Thank you, sir.

[Guest Gunner]

Well done dhondy. Wonderful post. The boys got seperated from the men today.

[DomainK]

Agree with 1 and 3 but not with 2. Bopara has gone notches above since IPL so has Bravo. They have lauded IPL for their recent performances. I think IPL can't be held responsible for players inability to play good cricket consistently.

Yup... We are indeed going overboard responding to this loss. This new Indian team has been a much better team that the past ones. They are still a young unit under a young captain learning things on the way. They will have their share of losses. And we as fans need to be a little more understanding and tolerant.

[Dhondy]

Agree with 1 and 3 but not with 2. Bopara has gone notches above since IPL so has Bravo. They have lauded IPL for their recent performances. I think IPL can't be held responsible for players inability to play good cricket consistently.

Bopara is a poor example. He's been found out every time he's been at the receiving end of skillful fast bowling. You'll see. He's another overrated also-ran. Bravo is a different animal. He always had it, and WI were mad to jettison him against England, in both forms of the game. He has a huge heart. IPL had nothing to do with it.

[jf1gp_1]

great post.. we lost big deal, england had to knock us out one of these days , happened to be today . soooo whats next ? WI ?

[Max_Cady]

India fought hard but they got what they deserved. They just weren't good enough and the easy warm-ups against Pakistan, Bangladesh and Ireland left them untested going into the Super 8s. Personally, every time i will think about this defeat, i will remember the 5 wides bowled by Harbhajan in that last over. It wasn't his fault, but Yuvraj's silly misfield gifted England 5 of the most valuable runs. It just goes out to show how small the margin of error is in T20, one small mistake like that can hurt you big time. You can't make basic mistakes like that. Keep the lid down on basic mistakes, and you will win the game. Take away that big blunder in the field at the very end and India would have won this game. God, we really missed Sehwag today. The guy is such a strong cutter and puller, really good with horizontal bat shots. Rohit and Raina could never replace this guy

[graphic23]

Excellent post there Dhondy. 1. Isn't it ironic? A guy who erased the fear of defeat last time around played so defensively this time around? There were several hints along the way too - the 2nd Test match against England at Mohali, the 3rd one against NZ at Wellington, and such. This puts the Australians' achievements over the past 2 decades in even better perspective - their confidence in themselves should've been enormous that they came out attacking every single time, instead of fearing what might happen if it doesn't work out. But, Dhoni's sharp enough to learn about it. 2. It has introduced a whole new level of fatigue amongst players - one they cannot avoid, by the looks of it. 3. I think Rohit was too overconfident in both the matches. I think his shots in both the games vs. WI and England were ones that came through bad judgment, not necessarily because of a lack of technique. With Raina, yes. His troubles against the shortball are well documented, and even though there are plenty of reports of him working with Kirsten to fix those glitches, he has not made enough progress, unfortunately. But both are young, and have a good future ahead of him should they choose to fix these technicalities in their batting. Thanks for your post, again.

[Kriterion]

i don't the IPL can be blamed. if anyone the IPL should make them better T20 players. its counter-intuitive. logically, the IPL should make them poorer test cricketers. i didn't understand that point. but i am not a fan of the IPL. if it results in player fatigue and injuries it will tarnish Test cricket. but i'm a bit old school in that i favor Tests and ODIs over T20s.

[Sachinism]

I think any idiot could have made the right decision by sending in Yuvi up the order. I personally would never send in Raina against quick bowlers on a bouncy wicket, he was made an example of against WI and then Dhoni decides to send him again.

[Dhondy]

And what's happening to Ishant is pure fatigue. He's like the walking dead. Zaheer fell victim to the incessant cricket too, as did Sehwag. Top level cricketers need a substantial rest period to recuperate and let small niggles heal. You, of all people, should know this Ravi, as you have played the game at a higher level than most of us. This is even more true for Indians, who are not natural athletes, say like Mitch Johnson.

[Mr. Wicket]

but i am not a fan of the IPL. if it results in player fatigue and injuries it will tarnish Test cricket. but i'm a bit old school in that i favor Tests and ODIs over T20s.

And yet you would prefer to see a mediocre quick bowler like Mohammad Malcolm Sami or Barney Rubble Hossain rather than a quality test bowler who isn't super-fast like Glenn McGrath?

[riya]

Wow amazing post .i agree with all the three points.

[Guest gaurav_indian]

i don't the IPL can be blamed. if anyone the IPL should make them better T20 players. its counter-intuitive. logically, the IPL should make them poorer test cricketers. i didn't understand that point. but i am not a fan of the IPL. if it results in player fatigue and injuries it will tarnish Test cricket. but i'm a bit old school in that i favor Tests and ODIs over T20s.

It doesnt matter whether its test,odi or T20.Your team always play in T20 mode.B->

[Mr. Wicket]

And what's happening to Ishant is pure fatigue. He's like the walking dead. Zaheer fell victim to the incessant cricket too, as did Sehwag. Top level cricketers need a substantial rest period to recuperate and let small niggles heal. You, of all people, should know this Ravi, as you have played the game at a higher level than most of us. This is even more true for Indians, who are not natural athletes, say like Mitch Johnson.

I'll just bring this up from a few weeks ago: http://www.indiancricketfans.com/showpost.php?p=698909&postcount=28 And excellent post as always. But on #3, while one can call for Raina and Rohit's heads, who would you suggest to replace them? Only worth booting a player if you have better replacements in the wings. All the other top domestic batsmen are either not T20 players (Badrinath, Rahane, Pujara) or have even weaker techniques.

[Dhondy]

1. Isn't it ironic? A guy who erased the fear of defeat last time around played so defensively this time around? There were several hints along the way too - the 2nd Test match against England at Mohali, the 3rd one against NZ at Wellington, and such. This puts the Australians' achievements over the past 2 decades in even better perspective - their confidence in themselves should've been enormous that they came out attacking every single time, instead of fearing what might happen if it doesn't work out. But, Dhoni's sharp enough to learn about it. .

That's exactly right Graphic. when you have something to protect- a reputation, a record, a lead, untold riches, you become more circumspect. That's human nature. That's why sport is the most demanding vocation of all. You need great insight and have superhuman reserves to resist your natural "I'll keep what I have" inclinations and remain on the offensive....stay with what worked for you in the first place. That's why so many good players lose tennis matches from two sets up against people like Federer and Nadal, who can rise above such conservative instincts. That's why an inordinately high number of goals in international football matches are scored in the dying minutes. Remember Man-United v Bayern in 1999? Remember Liverpool v Milan 2005? Great coaches have known this for many years and often warn their players against this very basic of errors. Very difficult for Dhoni.