Player of the Decade

[graphic23]

Cricinfo is doing a contest based on votes (maybe?) and stuff, and is going to announce the player of the decade sometime shortly. Whom do you pick? My pick would be Rahul Dravid, and he just edges out Sehwag, who has changed the game this decade, and he's done it unprecedentedly (bad word there). Not being jingoistic or being a blind fan but to me, Dravid's represented the best this decade has had to offer. Of course there is always Tendulkar, Ponting, Lara, Smith (to a certain extent), Murali, Warne, McGrath, Kallis (wow I keep forgetting a player who has scored 10k runs + 250 wickets), etc. Why Dravid ahead of say, Ponting? Well, Ponting's been fantastic up until about 2006-07, and since then he's been vacillating between good innings and some miserable ones. He's been inconsistent. Dravid had the worst two years of his career between 07-09, and that shows his average dropping. BUT, I think Rahul's innings such as 144 at Headingley, the 233 at Adelaide, 270 vs. Pakistan, the twin fifties vs. WI at Kingston (where we won the test largely due to his supreme batting), and of course, the 180 vs. Australia at Kolkata earlier in the decade, etc. Ponting may have matched a few of those innings, but I still would trust Dravid to score on a minefield and on a seaming wicket more than I would trust Ponting to. There's no question about who can counter attack better, but thats not the only criterion to "dominate". The fact that he has been a terrific test player and a very good ODI player, and he's been the Wall of the team, and has stood out considerably amongst some of the finest batsmen the world has seen - all of that makes me pick him. There are several reasons for why one would pick Sehwag, and I'd say that my pick of Dravid is just my preference - and nothing more. I'm not claiming to be objective. IT is my opinion. I'm interested in hearing yours.

[vvvslaxman]

Gilly Sehwag Dravid Kallis are the 4 names to come to my mind.

[Ram]

My man of the Decade is someone who has taken 565 test wickets with a staggering 49 five wicket hauls in tests and 335 wickets with an astonishing 8 five wicket hauls in ODIs. That's a astronomical 900 wickets in a single decade! And all this, in a decade that has been one of the kindest periods to the batsmen in recent times. We have seen prolific batsmen in decades past, but no bowler comes even close to emulating this man's feat. Respekt, Muthiah!

[graphic23]

Murali has really been prolific throughout his career, MM. He deserves a lot more praise than he gets, and is more talented than perceived. He's undoubtedly been one of the finest bowlers ever.

[graphic23]

Gilly Sehwag Dravid Kallis are the 4 names to come to my mind.

If you were to pick one out of the four?

[Ram]

To put Murali's feats into perspective, the no.2 on the list of top-wicket takers of this decade, Makhaya Ntini, has 644 wickets. Thats a humongous difference of nearly 255 wickets or, in normal parlance, Murali has taken 40% more wickets than ANY other international bowler from ANY team in this decade. I think that is unprecedented in the history of the game even, at least in the post WW II era.

[Ram]

Murali has really been prolific throughout his career' date=' MM. He deserves a lot more praise than he gets, and is more talented than perceived. He's undoubtedly been one of the finest bowlers ever.[/quote'] Yes, but surely just merely being one of the best bowlers ever shouldnt discount him from winning the prize for the best performer of the 2000s should it? :hmmm:

[graphic23]

:dontknow: Where did I claim that? I was merely appending another statement to your already (in my perception) correct viewpoint.

[Desi Cartman]

Kamran Akmal

[Ram]

:dontknow: Where did I claim that? I was merely appending another statement to your already (in my perception) correct viewpoint.

Oh ok..:D

[spectre]

Agree with OP, The Great Wall it is though there are so many close contender If its the most exciting player of the decade award, then its none other than the freak Viru

[bhanu]

ricky ponting...guy is amazing batsmans but more amazing captain so thats 2 in 1....and also muttiah murlithdaran just because he has so many wickets in test and odi...

[saneindian]

Has to be one out of Murali or Kallis. The kind of achievements these two have had in the last decade will be difficult to match by others.

[Sachinism]

Strauss has been pretty consistent. When did he start his career?

[Pakistan-India]

Kamran Akmal

:--D there had to be one :icflove:

[King Tendulkar]

Yep sort of agree with MM and would possibly go for Murali. Although would if pushed give it to Mr Tendulkar:winky: No doubts paks would nominate Afridi

[CSK Fan]

Yep sort of agree with MM and would possibly go for Murali. Although would if pushed give it to Mr Tendulkar:winky: No doubts paks would nominate Afridi

Why not nominate Bhajji? He is a proven champ, isnt he? If its a public poll, Sachin will win for sure

[King Tendulkar]

Why not nominate Bhajji? He is a proven champ, isnt he?

Blind Hatred.

[jf1gp_1]

Like OP sehwag was the first person who came to my mind but for me its Adam Gilchrist, he changed the way keepers are viewed. Terrific keeper 800+ dismisals , brutal with the bat and what one forgets most of the time he used to walk, something so rare in cricket these days. \ There are some great players this decade has seen but Gilchrist is my choice for revolutionizing keepers position

[urbestfriend]

Warne. Definetly. I think Murali is a great bowler and I like him for being a great competitor and a humble person but Warne just had that kind of 'x factor' which makes you think that he'd take a wicket every ball. Warne has propelled leg spin into the main stream and kids all round the world want to bowl just like him. Its treat to watch when warne was bowling .