Dhoni is catching up with Imran: Wasim Akram

[jpkonline]

Wasim Akram writes an excellent India are now the force Australia used to be three years ago. The hunger to excel is overwhelming. The joy of winning an ICC Cricket World Cup is sweeping across India and why not? With three Asian teams in the last four, I think the entire sub-continent should be happy with India 's victory. Pakistan and Sri Lanka also did very well and should be proud of themselves. There can, however, be only one winner and India deserved to be the champions. I believe the biggest match of the ICC CWC was the semi-final at Mohali. There can't be a bigger battle than a clash between India and Pakistan . India were in full control of the high-voltage semi-final and, given the way they handled the pressure, no one was going to stop them in the final. I am not surprised that Sri Lanka were simply blown away. I have said all along India were the favourites. Except for a few hiccups along the way, India were consistent throughout. Their average bowling attack was well covered up by the all-round team effort as the batsmen and fielders rose to the occasion when required. The final was a case in point. The Indians fielded like tigers and a bowler gets a massive boost when his mates chase every ball to stop runs. The fact that Kumar Sangakkara said Sri Lanka needed at least 350-370 runs to beat India underlines the solidity of the latter's batting. I had written in my preview that Virender Sehwag was due for a big one, but the way the Indian top order came good having lost Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar cheaply was just amazing. Gautam Gambhir and young Virat Kohli played crucial knocks under pressure and this is a lesson for batsmen like Asad Shafiq, Umar Akmal and Ahmed Shahzad in Pakistan . But if there was one man who took the game by the scruff of its neck, it was Mahendra Singh Dhoni. His decision to bat at No. 5 was not only wise, but it also spoke about his mindset as a captain. Dhoni, not the most beautiful batsman in the world, used his batting skills to telling effect. He not only grafted runs, he kept the pressure on Gambhir to run quick singles and convert singles into twos. Dhoni's calmness in the middle was something to note. The situation never got the better of him. That's the hallmark of a good captain. This is what I saw in Imran Khan, a man who soaked pressure and kept things simple in complex situations. Dhoni is not far away from Imran. The latest ICC rankings are out and India are still No. 2 in the ODI list. Australia may lead the table with a seven-point cushion over India , but that's all for the record books. According to me, India today are what Australia used to be three years ago: a great team with positive attitude and a hunger to excel every time they go out in the middle. While I am happy that Australia 's monopoly has been shattered, I will still not say this is the start of Asian domination in world cricket. But the more India , Pakistan and Sri Lanka win overseas, the stronger their belief will get. All three teams are capable of playing on quick and bouncy tracks and although this is too early to predict, at least two of India , Pakistan and Sri Lanka will surely make the semifinals of the 2015 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand . India certainly owe a big thank you to Gary Kirsten. The South African has been a calming influence on the team and if young guns like Yuvraj, Kohli and Gambhir lifted the coach on their shoulders, it was to tell Kirsten that he was loved and respected in the dressing room. The advantage of having a foreign coach is now clear: no politicking in the dressing room, cricket is the only goal. Before I conclude, let me salute two of the greatest in the game: Sachin and Murali. The Sri Lankan offie has bid farewell at the right juncture of his life. He has proved what cricket gives you when you try your best. We will miss him. For Sachin, sky is the limit. So good luck, Little Master! http://www.espnstar.com/cricket/icc-cricket-world-cup/news/detail/item604828/'Dhoni-is-catching-up-with-Imran'/

[One&only]

:two_thumbs_up:

[DomainK]

Good write up.

[ganeshran]

haha I can imagine Pakistanis gunning for Wasim after this.. But seriously, better not to compare two cricketers.. always will run into trouble.

[Sachin=GOD]

Fantastic read.

[Prakat]

:two_thumbs_up:

[One&only]

haha I can imagine Pakistanis gunning for Wasim after this.. But seriously, better not to compare two cricketers.. always will run into trouble.

I don't know about others, but the few educated that are left in our country will surely agree.

[Aaku]

Wasim can say good thing bout India without fear since he mostly lives here and not in Paki land :P But very nicely put wazz!:two_thumbs_up:

[akshayxyz]

Why cant they write a good article without bringing up a comparison. good read anyway :nice:

[moumotta]

He is only comparing them in terms of their ability to cope with pressure. Their captaincy styles are very different, quite understandable- Imran was leading a very different set of characters. However, there is one respect in which Dhoni has certainly outclassed Imran. Read his interview, how he acknowledges past and presnet greats and sees the win in its larger context for the country. Now take your mind back to 1992 and recall how Imran was all about Me, Me and Me. http://www.espncricinfo.com/icc_cricket_worldcup2011/content/current/story/509399.html

[ganeshran]

Captaining Pakistan is always a challenge IMO. the high stakes involved in our cricket force even the erratic ones to behave and play nice. They dont have that much money in cricket but huge popularity, so there are pretty big egos in the dressing room

[putrevus]

wtf has Imran Khan achieved which is so great for Wasim Akram to compare Dhoni with Imran Khan. That 1992 world cup win was a fluke and Imran Khan almost lost it for his team by his stupid batting and this Joker Akram is comparing him to Imran Khan.

[club sachin]

I was saying to my brother before the final that Dhoni is almost un-indian in the way that he is able to soak up pressure and lead from the front in big moments. No surprises to see him play such a crucial knock to get them home

[Switchblade]

:two_thumbs_up: Wasim Vikram oh sorry Akram

[ganeshran]

wtf has Imran Khan achieved which is so great for Wasim Akram to compare Dhoni with Imran Khan. That 1992 world cup win was a fluke and Imran Khan almost lost it for his team by his stupid batting and this Joker Akram is comparing him to Imran Khan.

I think what was great about that victory was he came out of retirement and led them to victory. the Pakistani stars of the 90s were actually mentored by Imran Khan. It was the absence of a similar figure in the 2000s that led to the decline of their cricket. Lets not put down other greats of the game to magnify our own. Dhoni is a great captain and maybe 10 years down the lane he will have a legacy just as big as Kapil and Imran. Such achievements always get magnified with time.

[ganeshran]

One commentator said Dhoni's temparement looks like he was born in a pressure cooker. :two_thumbs_up:

[ravishingravi]

Yes that WC Final had Imran Khan written all over it. I understand where Wasim is coming from

[akshayxyz]

One commentator said Dhoni's temparement looks like he was born in a pressure cooker. :two_thumbs_up:

Thats a good one.:two_thumbs_up::two_thumbs_up:

[Asoka]

wtf has Imran Khan achieved which is so great for Wasim Akram to compare Dhoni with Imran Khan. That 1992 world cup win was a fluke and Imran Khan almost lost it for his team by his stupid batting and this Joker Akram is comparing him to Imran Khan.

Imran Khan is probably among the top 10 greatest bowlers of all time,a decent batsman, as good an allrounder as Sobers. He was a good captain,a force of authority in Pakistan cricket and mentor to Wasim,Waqar,Inzi,Anwar,Saleem Malik,Ijaz Ahmed,Mushtaq Ahmed etc. As an overall cricketer he is 100 times better than Dhoni but yeah Dhoni is a better captain.

[vvvslaxman]

Imran Khan - inventor of soda bottle technique ... one good thing he did was to manage the bigots like Javed miandad. He was great in a different sense.