World Cup Match Reports, Articles & Interviews

[Late Cut]

Chasing the Soul of the Game I saw this wonderful article on ESPN (not cricinfo) by Wright Thompson. The article disappeared within hours, and took some googlefu to find. Thompson, who is unfamilar with Cricket, follows the indian cricket team; the article is much more than that though, it is about the evolution of india, in a way reflected in the emergence of Tendulkar, and then Shewag. Enjoy! Chasing the Soul of the Game An excerpt: ...A feeling arises, a rare one, that you are part of a group watching something special. The power of sport is that, on occasion, it redeems the messes we create around it. Cricket can be stronger than the forces changing it. Victories are fleeting, but the poems are what matters. I don't know if cricket is about to be ruined, or if Sachin is no longer needed, if he's retiring or if he'll defy expectations and play 10 more years. These are things we can guess about but never know. I do know this: I am a fan. I am sunburned but do not care. I lose track of time. That's not a narrative flourish. Hours seem like moments. Rapture comes to the people here. I see Sachin constructing a score, and I understand the planning, and the years of experience, that lead a man to this field on this day, and to the artistry he now holds as part of himself, like a chamber of his heart. We are congregants in a church. We are watching the son of a poet. The stand-up comedian is serious. This is a perfect at-bat, Andy tells me. This is art, and I am lucky to see it. Soon, Sachin will be gone. This feeling will be gone. Right now, it is alive. It has the power of a name, immortal and pure...

[goose]

India World Cup in the News The cricket world cup can normally found deep inside the sports sections of the Times in the UK. India's semi-final victory took over not only the entire back page but front page too! I just to had to scan it and post.

[kabira]

thanks for sharing. Very Nice

[b555]

All articles related to WC win Like the one we had for sachin's 200 lets put all the articles we can find on India's win here

[b555]

'I couldn't control my tears of joy'

"I couldn't have asked for anything more than this. Winning the World Cup is the proudest moment of my life. Thanks to my team-mates. Without them, nothing would have happened. I couldn't control my tears of joy." Sachin Tendulkar, who's played six World Cups, on his best moment "I took a quite few decisions tonight, if we hadn't won I would have been asked quite a few questions: Why no Ashwin, why Sreesanth, why no Yuvraj, why did I bat ahead?! That pushed me and motivated to do well" MS Dhoni puts a light spin on his selection decisions ahead of India's title win "This is unbelievable. The Under-19 World Cup, then the World Twenty20 but this is the most special. For Sachin, for everyone else." Yuvraj Singh, the Player of the Tournament, sums it up "Very proud of everyone, especially Mahela who rose up to the occasion and put up a great hundred. When you look at this Indian team anything less than 350 looks less! They deserved this title, the way they played in front of a great crowd." Kumar Sangakkara, the Sri Lanka captain, is gracious in defeat "All credit goes to Sachin Tendulkar. We played for him. Beating Australia and Pakistan and now this, its a dream come true." Gautam Gambhir, who gave India the upper hand in the final with his 97 "It means the world to me. I have been part of the three World Cups. This is for the nation. Thank you very much, we love you. This cup is for the people. Love you India!" Harbhajan Singh was among several Indian players who shed a tear following India's victory "This goes out to all the people of India. This is my first World Cup; I can't ask for more. Tendulkar has carried the burden of nation for 21 years; It was time we carried him. Chak de India!" Virat Kohli leads the Tendulkar tributes

[Chandan]

I came across this wonderful article by Sidharth Vaidyanathan: The baton passes. And how! Posted on April 2, 2011 by sidvee Twenty eight. The number of years that have passed since India last won a World Cup. That miracle at Lord’s. Against the greatest side. 183. The impossible defense. Sandhu’s banana ball. His hop after. Kapil’s catch. Madan Lal’s fist pumping the air. Mohinder’s legcutters. Holding’s wicket. Climax. Twenty eight. Almost half a lifetime. Seven World Cups. Many prime ministers. An economic upheaval. From one television channel to a zillion. In 1983, my dad had to wait eight months before he could own a land line phone. Apparently he was luckier than many. From Kapil to Gavaskar to Vengsarkar to Srikkanth to Azhar to Sachin to Ganguly to Dravid to Dhoni. Phew! At last. From Srikkanth ecstatically puffing on a cigarette in the Lord’s balcony to Yuvraj Singh sobbing emotionally at the Wankhede. Twenty eight. The average age of this World Cup winning Indian team. Munaf is 27; Yusuf and Sreesanth are 28; Dhoni, Gambhir and Yuvraj are 29; Harbhajan is 30; Nehra is 31; Sehwag and Zaheer are 32. At the near end of the spectrum are Kohli (22), Chawla (22), Raina (24) and Ashwin (24). At the far, unreachable end is Tendulkar (37). Among these, only Tendulkar lived the moment in ’83. Only he experienced the miracle. Among this group, only he understands the real significance of that day, the way things were and they way things changed. Only he felt the zeitgeist. The rest were too young. The memories from that World Cup, if at all there were any, would have been hazy. I’m guessing everything they knew was from hearsay, highlights packages, interviews and anecdotes. It’s fascinating how the cricket lives of most in this team run parallel with Tendulkar’s international career. Ten members of this squad, and most of them forming the core, are between 27 and 32. Many of them were drawn to cricket because of Tendulkar and many have talked about idolizing him in their impressionable years. Many tried to bat like him before getting more realistic. A few initially picked up heavy bats – the kind that he uses – before exchanging them for lighter ones. Dhoni once said most of the cricket he watched as a kid was restricted to Tendulkar’s batting. He also said how he stopped watching the ’03 final the moment Tendulkar was out. [To understand the man's leadership read this interview from 2008] Having lifted Tendulkar on his shoulders, parading around the stadium, Virat Kohli pretty much spoke for the whole country with his poignant line: “Sachin carried the burden of a nation for 21 years so he deserves it.” Someday Kohli may go on to lead India. He may even win a World Cup. But I’ll always remember him for this line. Always. That was how apt it was. Twenty eight. That’s pretty much how old my generation is. I’m 29 and most of my friends are between 26 and 30. We’ve followed poor teams and good teams; seen players with ‘potential’ fall flat on their face; seen domestic giants being exposed at the higher level. We’ve spent years hearing about our mediocre cricketing system, our dangerously scruffy outfields, our medieval coaching systems. We’ve gone mental watching games, only to realise that some players sold those games for several million bucks. We’ve seen teams collapse too often, teams that choked at the first sign of pressure, teams that couldn’t win big games, teams that crumbled while chasing, teams that froze while batting under lights. We’ve seen Kambli cry. Like many in the team, we’ve all grown up watching Tendulkar. We too have idolized him, tried to bat like him with heavy bats. We’ve been nervous wrecks when he’s at the crease and often flown off sofa sets watching some of his straight drives. I almost flew off again when he drove Kulasekera today, that majestic, pristine push down he ground. The bat so straight, so still. For several years, we switched off our TV sets the moment he got out. The result was a no-brainer. The collapse was inevitable. The rest would simply cave in. Not today. Not a chance in hell. Not with this team. Not with Gambhir, Kohli and Raina. Never with Yuvraj and Dhoni. Sure we were jittery at 31 for 2 but it was just a matter of one good partnership. This team was mentally strong enough. They too have been scarred by collapse after collapse. They too know how much it hurts if they meekly surrender. Gambhir and Kohli steadied the nerves before Dhoni imprinted his signature on the World Cup. He promoted himself ahead of Yuvraj and backed himself to prove a point. Not to the fans or the media but to himself. It was high time. The moment was here to be seized. Greatness was knocking. He had to blast the door open. And what an innings it was. Cutting ferociously, bat meeting ball with an ominously crunching sound, the hands twirling the bat around, the slightly exaggerated backlift, the thunderous power. And that six to finish, probably the most emphatic full stop you will see in cricket. The beautiful arc of the bat, the sensational timing, the elevation, the sheer shock of the instantaneousness, the most awesome orgasm. The replays were even more stunning: the intense concentration, the absolute brutality of the focus, refusing to take their eyes off the ball, the bat unrelenting in its completion of the follow through. And that joyous twirl that followed, as if he had just finished a game in a park. For some strange reason it reminded me of Kapil third six at Lord’s in 1990 – when he was batting with No.11 and struck four sixes to save the follow on. It was the third six in a row, was struck powerfully, described a glorious arc and soared over long-on . And it was executed with the joie de vivre of a little boy in a backyard. The baton passes. And how!

[Sachin=GOD]

fantastic read :nice:

[b555]

excellent blog that was chandan do post some more blogs if u happen to know more such ones

[Chandan]

One of the best images this: Wish Dravid, Ganguly and Laxman were also there! And this: .

[SachDan]

I came across this wonderful article by Sidharth Vaidyanathan: The baton passes. And how! And that six to finish, probably the most emphatic full stop you will see in cricket. The beautiful arc of the bat, the sensational timing, the elevation, the sheer shock of the instantaneousness, the most awesome orgasm. The replays were even more stunning: the intense concentration, the absolute brutality of the focus, refusing to take their eyes off the ball, the bat unrelenting in its completion of the follow through. And that joyous twirl that followed, as if he had just finished a game in a park. For some strange reason it reminded me of Kapil third six at Lord’s in 1990 – when he was batting with No.11 and struck four sixes to save the follow on. It was the third six in a row, was struck powerfully, described a glorious arc and soared over long-on . And it was executed with the joie de vivre of a little boy in a backyard. The baton passes. And how!

Cqak99E5OY0&feature=youtu.be :hatsoff:

[akshayxyz]

^^ Rajnikant would be proud - the way Dhoni spun the bat in his wrists.

[ravishingravi]

Great day for India and brave Dhoni :- Peter Roebuck FIREWORKS crackled deep into the night and the air was full of hoots, songs and shouts emerging from lines of cars, motor bikes and scooters moving up and down Marine Drive in Mumbai. Elsewhere in the city, and across India, exuberant celebrations began the moment Mahendra Singh Dhoni clouted a drive into the stands to win the World Cup for the home country. It was a fitting end to an unexpectedly successful and mostly clean tournament. Appropriately, the final was a superb contest full of twists and turns and dominated not by power but by skill and temperament. Neither of the great old stagers, Sachin Tendulkar and Muttiah Muralidaran, contributed significantly, the batsman falling in the course of a blistering opening burst from Lasith Malinga, and the tweaker finding the combination of dew and dicky groin beyond him. Nor did Virender Sehwag score a single run. Advertisement: Story continues below Instead, Mahela Jayawardena and Gautam Gambhir stroked the ball around adroitly and calmly, advancing India's cause with neat strokes played into inviting gaps. Jayawardena was as magnificent as he was discreet and deserved to finish on the winning side. He had never before scored an ODI hundred and lost, and his innings contained many virtues. If Gambhir's contribution was not quite as attractive it was every bit as valuable and played under even more pressure. Lodged between the stars, he fulfils the same role and bats in the same style as did Larry Gomes for the mighty West Indies sides. Virat Kohli also played his part, another fierce competitor, another member of the new generation of Indian batsmen, bold, confident and proud. Afterwards, Kohli, widely regarded as a future captain, helped to carry Tendulkar around the ground. He explained: ''For the last 21 years he has carried the burden of the team. It was time we carried him on our shoulders." And yet the day belonged to Dhoni. Like Jayawardena his form had been scratchy but he was able to put that behind him. Indeed, he dared to push himself up the order, emerging at third drop because two off-spinners were bowling and he wanted to keep a right and left-handed combination at the crease. Nor did he falter, scampering between the wickets, taking "ones and doubles" as he calls them, guiding his partners, clubbing anything dropping short and finally opening his shoulders to complete the victory. Afterwards, Dhoni said he had been anxious the entire tournament and in the final had thought he had better get some runs as, otherwise, critics would ask about his reason for ditching a capable spinner in favour of an expensive speedster and batting in front of Yuvraj Singh, the cricketer of the tournament. In the critical hour, and despite modest returns, Dhoni dared to back himself. That is leading from the front. Even in the toughest times, too, he managed to convey composure. Throughout his players felt their captain remained on the bridge and the situation was under control. It was a remarkable match whose dramas began before a ball had been bowled. Comparatively speaking, India's error in omitting Ravichandran Ashwin for Shanthakumaran Sreesanth was minor. The Lankans changed their side lock, stock and barrel, ditching two spinners and a batsman, included a tweaker added to the squad on Friday, and a brace of speedsters able to swing the willow but not the ball. It was a startling strategy caused partly by Angelo Matthews' injury, partly by the pitch with short boundaries and partly by India's skill against spin. But the changes disrupted the team, denied successful players the opportunity to appear in a final and seemed designed to counter weaknesses not to support strengths. Even the toss was a strange affair because both captains seemed to think they had won it and neither commentator nor match referee was able to offer any illumination. Beforehand, Jeff Crowe had asked the visiting captain to call loudly owing to the cacophony in the stadium. If his call was correct, it was magnanimous of Kumar Sangakkara so readily to agree to a second toss. Convinced he had won and delighted to be batting, Dhoni looked displeased by the reversal. Afterwards his counterpart apologised for mumbling. It was an unsatisfactory episode. In the end the toss did not matter. India's batting was too deep and strong for a weakened visiting attack. Sri Lanka played with gusto but relied too much on Malinga to take wickets and, after an incisive opening onslaught, he was ineffective. Although the ball was changed regularly, Malinga could not find any reverse swing on a dewy night and none of the rest posed a threat. No home side had won the World Cup before but India did not blink. Overall, it was a happy and entertaining occasion assisted by outstanding umpiring (Aleem Dar did not suffer a single reversal in the tournament and several of his colleagues were almost as good) and spoilt only slightly by somewhat heavy-handed security. It was a fine World Cup, the best for 25 years http://www.smh.com.au/sport/cricket/great-day-for-india-and-brave-dhoni-20110403-1cte6.html

[satyam1729]

Srilanka lacked self-belief They always believed they could get to the final, but that's where it seemed to end http://www.espncricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/509441.html

Doubt did Sri Lanka in They always believed they could get to the final, but that's where it seemed to end Shanaka Amarasinghe April 4, 2011 Sri Lanka is recovering. And recovering is something it has had to get used to in the last few years. Whether it's from the devastation of a tsunami, a three-decade civil war or surging costs of living, Sri Lanka has been a resilient nation. In this period of collective convalescence, though, they needed some hope. A second successive World Cup final provided it. For the first time in they country's battle-scarred recent history Sri Lankans were able to congregate in public parks, watering holes and friends' houses to watch perhaps the most eagerly anticipated match in their cricket. Even more so than the unexpected triumph of 1996. The quietness of Colombo and its suburbs on Sunday is antithetical to the buzz of Saturday afternoon. The disappointment is the sort felt by an enthusiastic child when his sandcastle is flattened by the tide. In the cold, dispassionate light of cricketing objectivity, Sri Lanka's on-field castle was built on sand. If there is one word that can sum up the difference between the two finalists of 2011, it would have to be "belief". Sri Lanka always believed they were good enough to get there, but something about them on that Mumbai evening suggested that's where the buck would stop. The evidence would mount as the tale unfolded. Despite his usual confident calm, there was a newly acquired grimace on Kumar Sangakkara's face as he spoke to Ravi Shastri after the shambolic toss fiasco. It was an expression likely brought on by the fact that he had lost his most important player on the eve of the final: Angelo Mathews is not Sri Lanka's best player or even their most talented, but his all-round ability has allowed Sri Lanka to be flexible in their combination, allowing for seven batsmen and five bowlers without needing 12 players. Mathews was the one player Sangakkara could not afford to lose, and fate conspired to see that he did. After playing almost all their games before an adoring Sri Lankan public, and after witnessing the inspiration they gave after the Premadasa semi-final, moving into the cauldron of Mumbai must have been daunting. In the glaring headlights of the Indian cricketing establishment Sri Lanka blinked. And at this level, all it takes is one blink. Given the sense of entitlement of a billion people, the Lankan Lions could be excused for feeling like obligatory invitees to Tendulkar's party. It was difficult to argue about pedigree, given that Sri Lanka had beaten the weaker minnows, a hapless England, and a scrapping New Zealand twice. India had beaten Bangladesh, West Indies, the stronger minnows, and tied a humdinger with England, while losing to South Africa in the final over. They had the harder path in the knockouts, accounting for both Pakistan and Australia. MS Dhoni, in an obvious effort to create self-doubt in the Sri Lanka camp, said, "We've been tested," implying that Sri Lanka hadn't. The Sri Lankan selections reflected this self-doubt. They strengthened their batting in the guise of strengthening their bowling. The batting sides were mismatched, and if Sri Lanka were going to win, it would have to be with the ball. Nuwan Kulasekara and Thisara Perera were never going to threaten India. It was always one or the other. Not both. Rangana Herath and Dilhara Fernando would have been the bold decisions. But after you've blinked, boldness becomes impossible. Having been in sumptuous form all tournament, Upul Tharanga was circumspect in the final, while Dilshan was tentative. The disproportionate respect for the Indian new-ball attack, including the comical Sreesanth, was obvious, and in the circumstances perhaps inevitable. Mahela Jayawardene's glorious hundred turned the game into a contest, and with Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag back in the pavilion, Indian jaws dropped. But so did Sri Lanka's attacking instinct. Although they got back into the game briefly with Dilshan's catch of virat Kohli, Dhoni's confidence and determination dwarfed the combined cricketing nous of Sangakkara and Jayawardene. Dhoni was bold - he promoted himself ahead of the Man of the Tournament, knowing he would be vilified if he failed. In the face of his onslaught Malinga faded away, while Murali barely entered the equation. Whatever may be said of their fielding performance, the fact was that Sri Lanka were two bowlers short on the day. Sri Lanka have now lost two successive World Cup finals. One was taken away from them by the brilliance of Adam Gilchrist, who was part of arguably the greatest one-day unit ever assembled. The second was more attainable, and once the sentiment has faded questions must be asked as to what needs to be done to scale the final summit. Add to this loss the capitulation to Pakistan in the World Twenty20 of 2009 and a pattern begins to emerge. Sri Lanka have not won a major trophy since 1996. While the Sri Lankan inability to go the distance is not nearly as serious as South Africa's, or the All Blacks' failure to reach a rugby World Cup final, it seems a trend worth arresting quickly. Given the off-field dramas of interim committees and ad hoc administration, the fact that Sri Lanka's players have performed so creditably is in itself testament to the national resilience. Successive finals are not something powerhouses like South Africa, or even India can boast of, and given the usual one-sidedness of World Cup finals, Sri Lanka have done well in this campaign. This tournament also brought the Jaywardene-Sangakkara axis back to the fore. The turning point was the group game against New Zealand, where the two brought Sri Lanka to a defendable score and then put their heads together to demolish the Kiwis in the field. Jayawardene came out as a runner in the semi final and guided a young Mathews out of a spot of bother. In the final, Sri Lanka looked like potential world champions only when the two were at the crease. With Murali's retirement Sri Lanka need to add to their stock of match-winners, while keeping their self-belief. The bowling had worked so well for them all tournament, and they chose to strengthen their batting. In the 2009 Twenty20 final a similar suicidal decision was made in the batting order. In the 2007 World Cup, having qualified for the knock-outs they chose to "rest" their big guns against Australia. These decisions exposed the diffidence of a team that, by all accounts, has no need to doubt themselves. Yesterday Dhoni guided a bunch of hitherto underachieving superstars to world dominance. Sangakkara and Jayawardene - for there are no heirs apparent, yet - must follow his lead. If defeats are the pillars of success, then Sri Lanka must start constructing their castle on the rock. While their consistency since 1996 has been enviable, they must now begin their journey to a third consecutive final and beyond.

[Prakat]

Given the sense of entitlement of a billion people, the Lankan Lions could be excused for feeling like obligatory invitees to Tendulkar's party.

1. There were only 33,000 in the stadium. 2. That's what playing away is about, or have they forgotten that? 3. So then all of Sri-Lanka's wins before this should be discredited except for the one match they played in the same stadium against NZ in the league stage. 4. What about the pressure to perform on the Indian team? 5. Their big victory against India in the Eden Gardens had 1,00,000 fans who were even more sure of an Indian victory given that SL had never come this far - if they could do it then there's no reason they can't have done it in front of 1/3 the number of fans.

[vvvslaxman]

ANy time a team loses in an important ODI they say " XXXX team lacked self belief". If SL were to win that it would have been "India lacked self belief". Fact is India has absolutely dominated Srilanka in India in the last few years so much so SL has won only 3 out of the last 19 ODIs played in India. So they were up against it. Their only hope was India messing up due to pressure. We didn't mess up. Against Australia.. come on.. they were "The best" team of world cup 2007 by a mile. Gilly always did well against them. No surprise there Regarding T20 that was the best chance for them to win a major tournament. Pakistan was not even that good a side. They had Younis khan in a T20 side :cantstop: . But their big players didn't step up at the crucial juncture.

[Prakat]

^ YK :phehehe: Dravid plays tests for us exclusively. :nice:

[Chandan]

India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni timed entire World Cup campaign to perfection Don't know if you guys have read this article or not but i like the way he has concentrated on Dhoni alone in the match. LINK Simon Hughes One of the many extensively played commercials during this World Cup features the Indian team making profound statements. “Play without fear!” recommends Sachin Tendulkar. His captain MS Dhoni is the definition of that. Unfazed by a highest score in the tournament of just 34, he promoted himself to No 5 and strode to the crease with the match in the balance at 114-3. With total conviction and complete self-assurance he clipped and chipped, occasionally carved, and ultimately clubbed, his side to handsome victory with a massive six over long on to finish 91 not out. The prolific Tendulkar may be India’s national treasure but Dhoni is their modern icon. Dhoni is Mr Confident. But even more so he is Mr Cool. He exudes a kind of karma under the most intense stress. You see it everywhere. Behind the stumps, in press conferences, at the crease. He has a sort of disarming presence that puts everyone at ease. It is this that has allowed this talented Indian team to truly flourish. He dissipates pressure. He, and departing coach Gary Kirsten, have created an environment which has enabled India to conquer the world. He is individual and unflappable. He doesn’t play by the rules. He encourages everyone to be themselves. He announces unexpected selections (or non-selections) with a chuckle and a simple explanation, he unveils surprising bowling changes - Tendulkar and Virat Koli had a couple of mid-innings overs yesterday - and he suddenly rejigs the batting order. He has been responsible for the rejuvenation of Yuvraj Singh, India’s man of the tournament. He gave Yuvraj a key role with the ball and his confidence and prowess returned with the bat. In the most intense situation of all, with India stuttering mid-innings, he poured immediate calm on troubled waters. He took total responsibility, sidling in and setting about the task of seeing his team home. He did so in his own inimitable way. He began by dinking the ailing Muttiah Muralitharan for runs on the leg-side. He was unflustered and unhurried. At the other end Gautem Gambir was still encouraged to come down the pitch to the Sri Lankan spinners despite being out stumped against Pakistan in the semi-final, another sign of the fearless atmosphere that Dhoni has enabled. He allies quirky deflections to brute force. He bounces around the crease to work balls into gaps or jumps back to thrash Murali past cover. When he did that a second time it brought up his fifty. No-one had realised he had that many - he is not one who plays for personal glory. Perhaps that is his secret. He doesn’t measure his life by numbers. He plays for the moment, immerses himself in it. The helicopter shot - featured in another TV ad - came out just once, uppercutting a short ball from Thisara Perera over third man for the first six of the innings. He scampered unselfishly between the wickets. A smear off Nuwan Kulasekera’s attempted yorker saw the ball hit the fence to bring up 250. There was a deft tickle off Malinga’s slower ball for four, then a wristy flick of a low full toss for another. Just seven were needed. Then four. He sent the next soaring over long on to finish the job. Mahela Jayawardene had already played an exquisite innings and it would be hard to imagine a better exhibition of one-day batsmanship. But Dhoni timed India’s run chase, not to say entire campaign, to perfection. --------------------------------- Likewise I'm trying to find out an article where the author would have described Gambhir's inning in such detail. But I haven't come across one. If any of you do, please post it here.

[vvvslaxman]

World cup was a hit because of luck? Atleast Manjrekar thinks so. http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/video_audio/509645.html

[Prakat]

"Dhoni among the greats" says Ian Chappell Dhoni among the greats Ian Chappell There’s no doubt Mahendra Singh Dhoni is one of the best international captains at moulding a winning spirit; the Indian team showed great resolve in the knockout stage of the World Cup and that can only happen if everyone is enjoying the success of his team-mates. Of the international captains over the last thirty years, Dhoni ranks up there with the best of them in Imran Khan, Mark Taylor and Arjuna Ranatunga. They’re all different in style but each had the ability to draw the best out of their team and win when the going was tough. Overcoming hurdle Of that quartet, Dhoni and Ranatunga both had moderate attacks, which make their achievement in winning a World Cup even more meritorious. One of the foremost requirements of a captain is to realise what he has in firepower and then work out how to best utilise it. Neither Dhoni nor Ranatunga were ones to lament their lack of attacking options; they just devised plans to beat the opposition with the bowlers they had in hand. Dhoni even admitted after the semi-final he’d misread the Mohali pitch but that still didn't stop him from finding a way to win with the attack he had on the field. That’s a smart captain. Another great quality Dhoni brings to captaincy is a quiet calm. Like all good captains he displays an aura that, no matter what is happening on the field, suggests to his team: “All is well”. Once a captain conveys that feeling, the rest of the team starts to believe he can pull off miracles. When the team believe miracles can happen they often occur because of the players’ belief; it becomes a self-perpetuating process. It also helps that Dhoni leads by example. When the going is tough he’s prepared to march into battle and tackle the biggest challenge; the World Cup final was a great example of that aspect of his character. Leading by example The players know that Dhoni is not asking them to do anything that he’s not prepared to do himself. That’s all players ask of their captain. They want honesty and in return they’ll give their respect. That is the foundation on which India's wonderful team spirit is built. By backing his players, Dhoni empowers them. The players know that he has faith in them and consequently when he sets them a task, they go about it with wholehearted confidence. There was no better example of how empowerment works in this World Cup than Zaheer Khan. Every time Dhoni threw him the ball, Zaheer responded with a spirited effort and on most occasions he obtained the wicket India so badly needed. Dhoni gradually brought his team to a peak during the tournament and they were at their best in the final. And, as good as they were, not even Imran, Taylor or Ranatunga put on such a commanding personal performance as Dhoni did in a World Cup final. http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/Print/681729.aspx © Copyright 2010 Hindustan Times

[Zero_Unit]

This guy is full of BS ... I bet behind Dhoni's back he is rambelling about how they kicked AUS out blabla ... I hate this guy