He is not the second Gilchrist but the first Dhoni, says Punjab skipper

[J P K]

A day after Chennai Super Kings beat Deccan Chargers by 10 runs, Kings XI Punjab skipper Adam Gilchrist said that he doesnÃÕ share much of a similarity with MS Dhoni and they have a different perspective to their game and skills. Å©e is very much his own man as far as I can see. I donÃÕ see any kind of similarity between me and him. He is not the second Adam Gilchrist; heÃÔ the first MS Dhoni. The manner through which he came into the limelight was lighting fast. He very quickly formed his own personality and his own style. HeÃÔ completely different from me. He is not a great believer in training too hard. I, on the other hand, had to and wanted to prepare excessively before each game, said Gilchrist The Punjab skipper also added that unlike him opening at the top and anchoring the innings, Dhoni is more adept in finishing the game. HeÃÔ great at finishing the games in the limited overs format and I often batted up the order. He can adapt his game according to the situation playing anchor or aggressor During his early days in international cricket MS Dhoni was hailed as the next Adam Gilchrist of cricket. Moreover the Indian skipper looked up to the aussieÃÔ accomplishment as inspiration. Dhoni had dedicated his maiden century to Gilchrist after smashing a 123-ball 148 against arch-rivals Pakistan in 2006. In response Gilchrist had said, ŵhe best compliment for me is when someone says theyÃÃl pay to watch me play and I can say that IÃÃl pay to watch MS Dhoni bat.Ǽ/B] Gilchrist further praised DhoniÃÔ conduct on-field and his ability to handle pressure situations. Å©is calmness is his greatest asset amongst fine skills, great power and so on. ItÃÔ a difficult job to keep full-time in the subcontinent alongside batting and captaining the side. I think he has done a remarkable job, said the former Australian keeper. After leading the national team to remarkable heights, Dhoni came under fire after a dismal performance during the series in England and Australia. A few experts also questioned his commitment to keeping behind the wickets and defensive decisions as captain. However Gilchrist felt despite all the comments, he finds the skipperÃÔ glove-work up to the mark at international level. A lot has been spoken about his keeping and people say that there are potentially better wicketkeepers in India, which I am not sure about. For me, MS does a terrific job behind the stumps. I believe he is not a huge trainer when it comes to his wicketkeeping. I have seen him at a constantly acceptable level and havenÃÕ seen him making blunders that have cost his team, Gilchrist was quoted as saying by the official website of Indian Premier League. Regarding the mixed reactions surrounding DhoniÃÔ test career, Gilchrist felt the Indian skipper seems to be in two minds, but he can sustain in the longer formats provided he lets his natural game of attacking which heÃÔ good at. Å©e is perhaps in two minds on which way to go in Test cricket. I would love to see him play his natural game, which is full of aggression and flair. ThatÃÔ where you can see match-changing innings from such players batting at seven. He comes after a star-studded batting line-up, and he shouldnÃÕ feel responsible if they donÃÕ perform, said the Punjab skipper who used to bat at the same position as Dhoni in Test matches. Gilchrist concluded on an encouraging note mentioning Dhoni as his favorite wicket-keeper in international cricket. He also applauded the innovative shots of the Chennai skipper especially the helicopter shot. He can change his game in the last five overs knowing that no ground is big enough for him. He can clear the rope five or six times in the final overs. The helicopter shot that he plays, is very unique and difficult to play. He seems to have taken a more mature and a stable approach of finishing the games, concluded Gilchrist. http://www.cricketcountry.com/cricket-articles/IPL-2012-He-is-not-the-second-Gilchrist-but-the-first-Dhoni-says-Punjab-skipper/14206

[vamos_rafa]

Nice words there! Summed up MS pretty well there.

[Sidhoni]

:nice:

[J P K]

MS doesn't get enough credit: Fleming Calcutta, (The Telegraph): Former New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming, who is coach of the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), spoke to The Telegraph at the ITC Sonar on Monday afternoon. The following are excerpts: You've watched Mahendra Singh Dhoni at close quarters for five seasons now. What were your first impressions of him as captain? That MS has a relaxed style of captaincy and that his decision-making is very instinctive. He reads the game well and makes the decisions which he feels are right... Most of the times, his decisions are right, for MS has a very good cricket brain. He gives the players confidence, allowing them to explore what they can do. MS backs what they do... Another point I'd like to make is that MS doesn't get enough credit for being the player he is. He has an amazing ability to win games and, within the team, that gives him opportunities to have an emotional attachment with the players. How do you look at Dhoni today? (Grins) With the workload MS has, I've seen him get tired... Maybe, there's a case for splitting the India captaincy, one captain for Test cricket and the other for ODIs and T20 Internationals. MS has to manage his workload and his energy levels. He has one of the most demanding of roles, on the body and on the mind, in world cricket and has to be selective. MS doesn't have a choice. Dhoni has himself said that he'll be taking a call on his future by the end of 2013... I can understand that. I believe there's a decent break after this IPL and, so, MS can put his gear away and just chill. He'll come back recharged for the next season. What's special about Dhoni as captain? The way he takes decisions, the way he deals with people... As a person, MS is unbelievably considerate towards the people around him... Everybody wants a piece of him, but he remains so obliging... That's his nature as a person, but that gets extended to his cricket. Some critics feel that Dhoni is a better captain in limited overs cricket, than in Test matches. Do you go along with that? I don't watch every single game... Look, I know the recent tour of Australia was tough and tours there can leave you deflated... I also know there was a lot of criticism directed at MS... However, often a captain gets it when there aren't enough individual performances contributing to a collective effort. A captain can get affected if he can't see how he'll be able to get 20 wickets or have a total of 400 on the board. It can get deflating if you can't see how to have an impact on the game. But, there are times, when a captain can't do much more... India have been more competitive in the one-dayers and, so, that could be influencing those holding the view you've mentioned... For teams to be actually very competitive in all three formats will require something special. Today, teams are a lot more even. Generally, won't a good captain be good in all formats? Not necessarily. The situations vary, the demands are different... In T20, you're making changes like this (gesticulates with fingers)... One-day cricket is more programmed... Test cricket is mentally demanding, particularly if the team isn't doing well. Do Dhoni and you ever talk captaincy? In dribs and drabs... My captaincy was based on a team always punching above its weight... We talk a lot more about our common goals for CSK. Where could Dhoni improve as captain? Despite being so inspirational, I think MS undervalues his communication... He's very much a 'follow me and I'll do it... I don't want to be overbearing' kind of a captain... But the players really respond when he talks... You don't want a situation where MS talks too much, but he needs to value his communication more. When Dhoni got the India captaincy in all formats, he had quite a few former captains in the dressing room. That he handled them well will remain a highpoint of his captaincy... (Nods head) Indeed, yes. It's unbelievable the way he captained the players he'd once looked up to... That's a big tick in one of the columns... The former captains, on their part, respected him. Lastly... Dhoni and you have been gelling together. Have the two of you been giving each other space? Yeah, we do get along well... As cricketers, as friends. http://my.news.yahoo.com/ms-doesn-t-get-enough-credit--fleming.html article is bit old so posting it here

[GautiMaan]

No one in India can replace him even in test lineup,pappu,dk,saha etc cant hold a candle to this guy

[JourneyMan]

Great captain but one feels that it would be easier on him to play at least one format without the added responsibility of captaincy and ideally that would be test.

[vamos_rafa]

^ No. Gilly is right. He should look to play attacking cricket. He should not feel responsible for the failures if the top 7 can't score and he is right in that regard. Moreover, he showed in SA as well, that when he looks to attack he can score runs in tests as well.

[JourneyMan]

^ No. Gilly is right. He should look to play attacking cricket. He should not feel responsible for the failures if the top 7 can't score and he is right in that regard. Moreover' date=' he showed in SA as well, that when he looks to attack he can score runs in tests as well.[/quote'] I get a feeling he's more likely to attack if he isn't captain. For some reason being captain seems to make him assume he has to bat slowly and carefully (only in tests).

[Vilander]

Gilly as always understated, such a legend.

[achilles]

Very modest of Gilly. At 40 odd, he has consistently outperformed MS in IPL, stretched over a duration of 5 IPLs.

[saneindian]

Very modest of Gilly. At 40 odd' date=' he has consistently outperformed MS in IPL, stretched over a duration of 5 IPLs.[/quote'] Really? their IPL records are so similar Gilly- 67 innings, 1775 runs, SR of 140 MSD- 67 innings, 1768 runs, SR of 137 Truly consistently outperforming MSD. This despite one playing all his innings at the top and the other playing mostly in middle or lower middle order! Now lets see you shifting the goalpost like always.

[Sidhoni]

Very modest of Gilly. At 40 odd' date=' he has consistently outperformed MS in IPL, stretched over a duration of 5 IPLs.[/quote'] Pwned! :cantstop:

[achilles]

Really? their IPL records are so similar Gilly- 67 innings, 1775 runs, SR of 140 MSD- 67 innings, 1768 runs, SR of 137 Truly consistently outperforming MSD. This despite one playing all his innings at the top and the other playing mostly in middle or lower middle order! Now lets see you shifting the goalpost like always.