Dhoni, the MOST GUTLESS CAPTAIN in the history of Indian cricket.

[Karan114]

Anyways' date=' focussing on this incident when the English team has just run over us, is missing the point.[/quote'] I have to agree. Much as the Bell recall irritated me, it only cost us about 20 runs. Seeing the way even Tim ****ing Bresnan flayed us around in that final session just showed how vast the gulf between the sides is in this game.

[Aaku]

Duh, before the players and umpires walked off the field, Dhoni was asked point blank, "will you withdraw the appeal ?" and Dhoni responded with a categorical "No". Only then Bell was given out. So if it was just his own decision, Bell would have been out of course. Dhoni is a product of modern India - mean mofo, competitive and one who does not give an inch. Dhoni must have consulted Tendu, Dravid & Laxman & must have decided that its not a good idea to enforce the "out". Anyways, focussing on this incident when the English team has just run over us, is missing the point.

THISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!

[ZodiaC]

Oh come on Manny. I can see where you're coming from, but cut the guy some slack.

[J P K]

R u guys sure ? Fed up. With dhoni ? England might think of adopting him along with strauss morgan kp prior Msd must have won lot of england's fan's votes for people choice award :nice:

[ZodiaC]

England scores 417 runs in a single day on a tricky pitch. If anyone deserves to win this test, it is England. Suck it up! Just blaming it on one or two individuals does not explain this beating. We've been outclassed, as simple as that.

True Bumpy. I mean come on, last thing we need is more *****ing about how we were unfair etc, they're already whinging about our stance on UDRS etc. Considering the circumstances, it was pretty much the right thing to do IMHO, wise decision by Dhoni. Nothing magnanimous about it.

[21cent]

I am surprised that Dhoni called him back. Knowing that defeat is imminent Dhoni may be trying to save some face for India Atleast from now on, India could be included in contention for spirit of cricket awards, but its still doubtful after the whole UDRS fiasco.

[Manny_Pacquiao]

I can't be bothered to argue with ignorant people who follow the game through scorecards and blindly assume that england won most of the sessions in the test match. not gonna waste my time on this kind of bullshit, even though its the hallmark of ICF. yes, i saw dravid's post match interview, and he said it was a unanimous team decision. if the team truly agreed on it, then thats truly sad. but the captain makes the final call, so he should bear the criticism for it. and its funny how people are claiming that one single incident has no impact on the match, that it only cost india 20 runs, etc. how nonsensical. in this very test match you saw an example of how one dismissal can turn the game on it's head. you guys seriously think india would have bowled like that if a guy who frustrated them for 2 sessions had been given out? with a new batsman at the crease, and a new ball coming? the lack of intent was just depressing. first over after tea, guess who opens the bowling? suresh ****ing raina. it was like dhoni was waiting for the declaration like he did at Lords. and btw, not that it matters, but bell and morgan added almost 70 runs, not 20, after tea. that's more than enuff to seize momentum away and kill any fightback. recalling bell was a case of india giving up a chance to come back into the game in the name of some antiquated concept called 'the shpirit of krikkit'. the team should get some spirits to drown their sorrows in once this game is over. even if you don't agree with the decision, at least accept that dhoni's captaincy was PISS POOR. people are quick to blame the bowlers but a bowler's performance depends on the kind of support he gets from the captain. the fact is, ishant, praveen are still young and aren't smart enough to set their own fields. if zaheer was around, it would have been a different story but in his absence the captain had to find a way to support his bowlers. if an opposition is allowed to score a shitload of runs through one vacant third man area all day long, that is a serious failure on part of the captain who runs the side. i felt sorry for Sunny G in the commentary box, the guy was tearing his hair out over this, and who could blame him. in india's innings, dravid targeted third man too but strauss' approach was the exact opposite of dhoni's and he placed a fielder there while maintaining pressure. dhoni is the kind of captain who would spread the field to a number 11. restrictive at best and ****ing clueless at worst. the larger point is that dhoni just isn't a very good test captain. if you can't accept that right now, fine. you will find out soon enough, once the big runs dry up after tendulkar, lax and dravid are gone and when zaheer isn't there to run the show on the field and break partnerships with the older ball.

[Sachinism]

I'm sooo pissed off with what he did. But Dravid said everyone in the changing room agreed. Regardless Strauss and Flower should have been told to go *** their mothers. Or better yet bring her over and I'll do her. Seems OTT, but for England to have the audacity to ask for a change of decision deserves nothing less

[Gotham Cronie]

If you don't want him, can we have him? Lol.

[Jersey #10]

Where is England's "SPIRIT OF CRICKET"? It was all their fault so they deserved to have Bell out.

[Jersey #10]

Praveen Kumar you are a little funny dude :giggle:

[koolkarts]

be Im so frustrated with this Indian team. If we were in form vs England in form, I have no doubt in my mind that we would win. But instead we've got a random XI that dont look like they're gelling. It's so frustrating. Viru Zak and Gambhir make such a big difference. Imagine if England were without Broad, Cook and Strauss. It's so god damn frustrating. I wish this was a 5 test series. We are such a good team, why are we flopping?!!

[King]

This is a shocker, Dhoni showed what it takes to be no.1 team. Aussies despite being no.1 were not as much liked by their own fans due to their improper or out of the order ways of winning at times. I won't condemn that but I wouldn't personally like to see India going that way. It takes courage to be honest and understand Bell's wicket came out of confusion rather than having earned it. So what other teams play unfair, you don't have to end up an idiot because your neighbour is one. Civility is not a sign of weakness, it is the sign of champions. I'm quite appalled by the abuse Dhoni has to go through for being right.

[King]

Duh, before the players and umpires walked off the field, Dhoni was asked point blank, "will you withdraw the appeal ?" and Dhoni responded with a categorical "No". Only then Bell was given out. So if it was just his own decision, Bell would have been out of course. Dhoni is a product of modern India - mean mofo, competitive and one who does not give an inch. Dhoni must have consulted Tendu, Dravid & Laxman & must have decided that its not a good idea to enforce the "out". Anyways, focussing on this incident when the English team has just run over us, is missing the point.

X 2 England's played some good cricket in this series and again has India on the mat. Just accept the reality and get over it. How much ever hard it is to take the truth, it can't be changed. England made an excellent comeback in the first inning and India did the opposite, India despite being in a commanding stage at one point in time squandered their chances. Just imagine if India had piled runs in the first inning and had about 150-200 runs lead. Recalling of Bell was right and that made no change to the fortune of the game whatsoever.

[Desi Cartman]

This test is a collective :fail: for team India where every player except RD has contributed with his own little :fail:

[Manny_Pacquiao]

This is a shocker' date=' Dhoni showed what it takes to be no.1 team. Aussies despite being no.1 were not as much liked by their own fans due to their improper or out of the order ways of winning at times. I won't condemn that but I wouldn't personally like to see India going that way. It takes courage to be honest and understand Bell's wicket came out of confusion rather than having earned it. So what other teams play unfair, you don't have to end up an idiot because your neighbour is one. Civility is not a sign of weakness, it is the sign of champions. I'm quite appalled by the abuse Dhoni has to go through for being right.[/quote'] Yours is one of the few opinions i can be bothered to read, and if u want to think that dhoni was right in recalling Bell and it made no difference to the outcome of this game, then thats fine with me. we are talking hypotheticals here anyway. you are right in saying that india shouldn't base their actions on what others do. that's fair enough, but for me, it's still a very clear situation. I would rather have my opposition at 253/4 with the top scorer back in the pavilion than at 253/3 with the top scorer still there. its as simple as that. dhoni and the indian cricket team threw away an advantage and a chance to get back into the game for the sake of sustaining an image of sportsmanship. dravid can say that india wouldn't have liked it if one our guys was given out in the same way, but the reality is that any batsman who doesn't know the rules and makes a mistake doesn't deserve to be there. doesn't matter if its tendulkar or bell. btw, do you have any comments on dhoni's captaincy throughout the day? I would love to hear your opinion on his field sets.

[King]

Yours is one of the few opinions i can be bothered to read, and if u want to think that dhoni was right in recalling Bell and it made no difference to the outcome of this game, then thats fine with me. we are talking hypotheticals here anyway. you are right in saying that india shouldn't base their actions on what others do. that's fair enough, but for me, it's still a very clear situation. I would rather have my opposition at 253/4 with the top scorer back in the pavilion than at 253/3 with the top scorer still there. its as simple as that. dhoni and the indian cricket team threw away an advantage and a chance to get back into the game for the sake of sustaining an image of sportsmanship. dravid can say that india wouldn't have liked it if one our guys was given out in the same way, but the reality is that any batsman who doesn't know the rules and makes a mistake doesn't deserve to be there. doesn't matter if its tendulkar or bell. btw, do you have any comments on dhoni's captaincy throughout the day? I would love to hear your opinion on his field sets.

I get your point, the decision to claim the dismissal boils down to the philosophy with which you are brought up as a cricketer. The Aussies are brought up the hard way. As long as the law permits they will claim it. You can call that toughness or the way they have played their cricket for a long time. I’m not insisting the common Aussies will approve that but their cricketers have a philosophy that wins comes first which is drilled from the time they pick up the bat or ball. Contrast that with the Indian teams, they play with a philosophy of fair play you would assume. Neither is a bad thing, it’s just the philosophy you adapt as a team. I do know that some quarters of the English media have said the reason for Bell being called back was a credit to Duncan Fletcher and cited he must have influenced the decision to call back Bell. I know that is a lot of bull **** but in the end you have to understand the philosophy with which India plays. The field set I suppose was barely tinkered. Mostly Dhoni was attacking but perhaps he could have opted for an in-out field. Plenty of runs through third man though, perhaps he could have sacrificed the point for a deep backward point and that could have saved some runs. It has to be said Bell hit some wonderful drives all around the wicket. I think the bowling was way too full and both sides of the wicket. It’s hard to set field for bad bowling. Perhaps the bowlers could have tried something unconventional, maybe some Yorkers or slower ones. When a partnership develops even at international cricket the cricketers just go through paces. Imagination was lacking I thought and the bowlers bowling longer spells each time only wear the bowlers out as well as they often drifted in their lines. India expected England to play defensively but England played positively surprising India. India lacked preparation, imagination and plan B. The bowling hinged on bowling full and looking for pitch to do plenty. Often enough in a test match the nature of the pitch does change and nothing to take away from England they batted well. India continued to bowl full and straight allowing the England batsmen to play all around the wicket. When the ball is seaming it is harder to play straight and through leg side but when there is not much to offer in the pitch the balls bowled fuller and straighter become cannon fodder. I suppose India may not have been able to knock over the England middle order quickly but they could have stem the runs. The field set did lack imagination at times, certainly could have been better if they had 4 stoppers despite having the catchers in place. Given Bhajji bowled only 9 overs and has been ineffective throughout, India again has to operate with just 3 bowlers capable of picking wickets. I hope they don’t break down after having bowled so many overs and so often. Raina and Yuvi are not the kind of players that are going to pick many wickets in England considering Swann and Bhajji have struggled as well. All in all India has nothing to lose, they should go out there and express themselves. Chances of saving this test match pretty much sound nigh impossible now.

[rahulrulezz]

M proud of Dhoni.. If I wanna beat up my opponent, I don't use cheap tricks, I wanna knock him out fair n square or get knocked out... thats me and I am proud of Dhoni for what he did!!

[Manny_Pacquiao]

I get your point, the decision to claim the dismissal boils down to the philosophy with which you are brought up as a cricketer. The Aussies are brought up the hard way. As long as the law permits they will claim it. You can call that toughness or the way they have played their cricket for a long time. I’m not insisting the common Aussies will approve that but their cricketers have a philosophy that wins comes first which is drilled from the time they pick up the bat or ball. Contrast that with the Indian teams, they play with a philosophy of fair play you would assume. Neither is a bad thing, it’s just the philosophy you adapt as a team. I do know that some quarters of the English media have said the reason for Bell being called back was a credit to Duncan Fletcher and cited he must have influenced the decision to call back Bell. I know that is a lot of bull **** but in the end you have to understand the philosophy with which India plays. The field set I suppose was barely tinkered. Mostly Dhoni was attacking but perhaps he could have opted for an in-out field. Plenty of runs through third man though, perhaps he could have sacrificed the point for a deep backward point and that could have saved some runs. It has to be said Bell hit some wonderful drives all around the wicket. I think the bowling was way too full and both sides of the wicket. It’s hard to set field for bad bowling. Perhaps the bowlers could have tried something unconventional, maybe some Yorkers or slower ones. When a partnership develops even at international cricket the cricketers just go through paces. Imagination was lacking I thought and the bowlers bowling longer spells each time only wear the bowlers out as well as they often drifted in their lines. India expected England to play defensively but England played positively surprising India. India lacked preparation, imagination and plan B. The bowling hinged on bowling full and looking for pitch to do plenty. Often enough in a test match the nature of the pitch does change and nothing to take away from England they batted well. India continued to bowl full and straight allowing the England batsmen to play all around the wicket. When the ball is seaming it is harder to play straight and through leg side but when there is not much to offer in the pitch the balls bowled fuller and straighter become cannon fodder. I suppose India may not have been able to knock over the England middle order quickly but they could have stem the runs. The field set did lack imagination at times, certainly could have been better if they had 4 stoppers despite having the catchers in place. Given Bhajji bowled only 9 overs and has been ineffective throughout, India again has to operate with just 3 bowlers capable of picking wickets. I hope they don’t break down after having bowled so many overs and so often. Raina and Yuvi are not the kind of players that are going to pick many wickets in England considering Swann and Bhajji have struggled as well. All in all India has nothing to lose, they should go out there and express themselves. Chances of saving this test match pretty much sound nigh impossible now.

Nice post. re; the spirit of the game. you know what's ironic about all this? the fact that in spite of consciously trying to play the game in the right 'spirit', india still rack up more fines, suspensions and bans than any other team in the world. is it just me, or is india's reputation as the perennial good guys only acknowledged by indians like us? it certainly isn't recognised by the match referees. some of the most unceremonious incidents in indian cricket were nothing compared to the stuff that the aussies or other teams have gotten away with, i.e. Mike denness banning sehwag, SS Das, ganguly and other cricketers for 'charging' the umpire and appealing excessively on our tour of SA back in 2001. perhaps India should take a look at themselves and wonder if acts like these really amount to anything? thanks for replying about the field sets. i agree, total lack of imagination and the bowlers only got worse as the day went on, which is understandable given that our spinner wasn't ready to bowl. yes, in the last session, he could have set any kind of field but our bowlers, who were already worn out, would have conceded runs anyway after the brilliant start morgan and bell got off the bowling of suresh raina, a masterstoke by dhoni. but in the first two sessions, they bowled pretty well. too full at times, but that's ok if you offer protection square of the wicket because you WANT THE BATSMAN TO PLAY. the fuller length was what got wickets on this pitch, england's lengths weren't much different, they were a bit more consistent but more importantly, they were backed up by a good field. What pissed me off was the ease with which they got those runs. Scattering the field at the first sign of a partnership developing is a classic DHONI TRAIT, batsmen were simply keeping out the good balls and rotating strike due to lack of silly mid off, short midwkt, and close in positions etc. and of course, no third man. it was frustrating to watch because the guys were bowling in the right areas. once the ball gets old, good field sets make a big difference. dhoni's captaincy was just really reactionary, ball chasing, if you like. AND THIS WAS THE CASE THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE DAY. he did try the deep bkwd point, in the last session IIRC, i think he sent tendulkar there and did away with it after an over or two and they once again targeted that area. no conviction at all. but that's the point i was getting at. you can't have a captain that thinks in such a retarded way if you are trying to win a match. basically, the only way we can improve from hereon is if zaheer comes back and sorts this fielding stuff out.

[Rahul Dravid]

just wat the poster said.. i feel disgusted, that our captain doesnt want to win.. ***in kunt really... he cant bat, cant freaking wicketkeep too well.. and now field placings.. defensive field and callin bak that english ghanta... jeez..picking bhajji..... SOO MANY MISTAKES... realllly very dissapointing