MS Dhoni: The Complete Captain
By Flamy
July 11 2008
Dhoni has had a dream start to his captaincy winning some very important tours and elevating India to the cream of the cricketing fraternity. It says something about a man when he goes out to play every game to win and keep the trust of a billion people on his shoulders. But, that is only just the beginning.
Different people have opined about his ability to keep his cool in pressure-cooker situations and coming out trumps. He has the uncanny ability to inspire not just his countrymen, but also a motley crew of cricketers as witnessed in the IPL. He is a true leader of men and he compounds this natural ability with excellent cricketing acumen pulling out some curious plays that has us fans analysing his motives.
However the finals of the Asia Cup saw yet another impressive side of our captain. True character and adversity and all that, he has kept his head high after the loss and there was no reason to feel ashamed. This is why we love sport. There is always the chance of one moment making a difference. And that moment came when Sri Lanka made the decision of hiding Mendis from India till the finals came.
The beauty and uncertainty of facing an unorthodox bowler such as Mendis is what makes cricket exciting for fans of the sport. Cricket is a team sport where one person can win a game for the team. Today, India were bamboozled by the Mendis Menace. It was India vs Mendis.
And as much as it hurts us, it was heartening to see Dhoni look at the lighter side of things and banter with Mendis and the other Sri Lankans at the end-of-the-match handshakes.
Dhoni doesn't mince words at the presentation ceremony when he says Mendis was the difference and that each and every Indian batter was flabbergasted by Mendis' brilliance. The one person that made the difference. And no one had an answer.
And no one will know this better than the Sri Lankan camp when they look at a certain Mahenda Singh Dhoni. They will recall now, with a wry smile the 183* that another untested player just making his way into world cricket announced his arrival on the world stage with. Much like Mendis put himself on the world cricket map today.
It was tables turned by Sri Lanka. One surpise for another. Touche! and well done Lankans!
I think he is clever.....but fickle like Chappell...experiments too much...gets too cute too often
and MSD did inspire Gangu and Tendu to play out of their skins and perform the feets that they had never done

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2008:07:06:20:05:04 by Indian Well Wisher.
Quote:anu_D
actually in this Asia cup all that he won was a half-useless match when SL rested their top 2 bolwers
Wow, you have no mercy do you ? When you start off on someone its death by a 1000 cuts... wow, I feel sorry for you husband !
Pls give him our sympathies.
Quote:anu_D
^ Let him inspire "his team" and win it without them
Tendu is very much a part of Dhoni's team, will be back to ODIs once fit, so no worries on him..
For Gangu, while he is not deemed fit enuf for ODI by dhoni on account of his poor fielding, running between wickets and slow batting, he is still very much in scheme of tests as & when Dhoni takes over test captaincy..so Dhoni will keep inspiring Gangu as well in the future..
Quote:Bucknor the Great
blind love for ganguly inspires anu_d to hate Chappel/Dravid/Dhoni/<any captain of India who doesnt select Ganguly in his squad>
Aah ! A passionate lover ...so her hubby does have something going for him after all.
Quote:Indian Well WisherQuote:anu_D
^ Let him inspire "his team" and win it without them
Tendu is very much a part of Dhoni's team, will be back to ODIs once fit, so no worries on him..
==>>OK...if to win he is solely dependent on Tendulkar...Dhoni won't last too long
For Gangu, while he is not deemed fit enuf for ODI by dhoni on account of his poor fielding, running between wickets and slow batting,
==>.That's OK....let Dhoni WIN without Ganguly
he is still very much in when Dhoni takes over test captaincy..so Dhoni will keep inspiring Gangu as well in the future..
==>>When will that WHEN be?......If there ever will be that WHE?
When Kumble retires.
It's NOT a given that Dhoni will captain.
I think his captaincy is good...but his own batting doesn't merit him a place in the test match side.
DK and Parthiv are both better than him
[aus.cricinfo.com]
Dhoni, whose innings stood out for its sensible approach, was mesmerised even at the press-conference. For every question demanding explanations for the defeat, he ahd the same answer: Mendis.
"Most of our batsmen couldn't pick him," Dhoni said. "We had never played him before. We had only seen videos and you can visualise and all, but he was difficult to pick out there in the middle. We never had any real reply against him."
Why did they make the defensive move of playing an extra batsman? "The main reason to add one batsman was Mendis," Dhoni said. "Our bowlers did well to restrict them to 273, and Mendis bowled well and that was the reason we lost.
"It was like you were playing something else, and the ball was something else. I won't really blame the batsman, we couldn't pick the deliveries. If you see our bowling, it was the best bowling line-up we could offer when we wanted one more extra batsman in the side. They tried their best and we could have got 274 but for the Mendis factor."
Quote:"It was like you were playing something else, and the ball was something else.
This is AWESOME... I am all for bowlers BAMBOOZLING batsmen...
Quote:flamy
Dhoni is the most reliable batsman in our ODI oufit. I'm sure he will translate that to tests soon.
==>>Hmmm he averaged 13 in 8 innings in Australia...that is his true standing.
You add his daylight bashing on flat-tracks...and his average average would be about 27
In the Asia cupThis team won only one half useless match against SL ( when their top 2 bolwers) were rested...and lost every thing else.
At least let's not fool ourselves with notional achievements
Lately test match series in Aus....the finals of CU ODIs against Aus and Kanpur test match have been the worthy national achievements by the cricket team
without eitehr....he finishes 2nd in 2 nations tournaments against B-Grade sides

Dhoni is relying upon established old and fading stars to give him his two most significant wins CU in Aus and Cawnpore Test
Quote:Birbal
notional achievments in India are NATIONAL achievments...
Wah ! Wah !
Wah ! Wah !
Now I've got to look up te dictionary...
India - World Cup winners 2011!!!
Champions Trophy winners 2013!!!
Congrats to Indian team and all Indian fans!
but the guy is well rounded now.. can play as per the situation and would have been ideal to have given the Test cappo to him but then he could never have got a break..
so this is nthe only option for break before the Test cappos also comes his way...
Keep 'em coming...

_____
ICL Ko Support Karo Yaro...
BCCI Ko Joote Chappal Maro....
India is following the Aussie strategy...Ponting was ODI captain for a year or so before taking over the Tests...
_____
ICL Ko Support Karo Yaro...
BCCI Ko Joote Chappal Maro....
Ponting was the best batsman in the team......Dhoni doesn't find a spot in the team on merit
He finds a place in the team...
Btw, he has already captained in Tests...

_____
ICL Ko Support Karo Yaro...
BCCI Ko Joote Chappal Maro....
PS* I suspect you are merely responding to bump this thread...as it is a cover story

But don't think Dhoni will become permanent Test captain till Kumble quits...
_____
ICL Ko Support Karo Yaro...
BCCI Ko Joote Chappal Maro....
signed/-
a_D 10:57pm Kuwait Time, Jul 11th 2008

_____
ICL Ko Support Karo Yaro...
BCCI Ko Joote Chappal Maro....
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2008:07:11:21:00:37 by Birbal.
Ganguly made Sehwag, Yuv, Kaif into stars and Dravid and VVSL into a superstar......none of them were anywhere close to the levels before ( or even) after Ganguly.
..........................................
What a joke!
Ganguly certainly was a great captain. But the idea that he made these players in to stars is a joke. It is in fact an insult to these players. These are all hugely talented players, and they made their own fame.
Dhoni too is a great captain. Right now, he is a far better captain than Ganguly. Ganguly years ago was probably a better captain than Dhoni now. But then, Dhoni has a long way to go before he reaches his potential as a captain.
What I noticed that day was MSD's body language after the match. He completely accepted the defeat and conceded it to the one factor: Mendis. He did not sulk in self-ignominy. He took it lightly and made jokey gestures (Mendis finger flicks) with the Sri Lankan camp while shaking hands with them.
Attitude and self-belief can take you far.
Wrong. i bet that Ind would WIN with Ganguly or something along that line and you bet against that..dont think I lost that one..There is ambiguity on the end result..
Im just not arond as haven't got time to look at this site in a while. Guess I was pleasantly surprised to see my name when I popped in..Ateast Gaurang remembers me

He seems to be virtually carrying the team on his back with his keeping and batting.
Is he the winningest captain in ODI's for India now ?
He has won 19 out of 35 matches so far...
He has a ways to go... but his win percentage is now above 50% which it was not after the Asia Cup...
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2008:08:28:02:49:01 by Birbal.
India - World Cup winners 2011!!!
Champions Trophy winners 2013!!!
Congrats to Indian team and all Indian fans!
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Tendulkar is the greatest cricketer of all time
Author: Birbal
Date: 23-09-05 23:25
OK so here is the final BET...
Taps bets that under Chappell and without Ganguly as Captain India will WIN 60% of the multi-team ODIs it enters...AND that it will WIN 75% of the overseas Test Series it plays against non-minnows... otherwise he will shut up when I post and silently agree with all I say... and vice versa...
You LOST big time...and slinked away tail between legs...
Accept that much like a man at least...
![[:wor kid:] [:wor kid:]](/phorum-5.1.15/mods/smileys/images/13.gif)
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2008:08:28:19:05:23 by Birbal.
IMO, Dhoni should be capable of holding a specialist batting position in the Test team...only then will it work. In such a case he can when necessary give up the gloves and just play as a batsman. I feel he still needs a year or so of Test match experience to improve his batting, before being considered for Test captaincy.
India - World Cup winners 2011!!!
Champions Trophy winners 2013!!!
Congrats to Indian team and all Indian fans!
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2008:08:29:09:11:38 by Max.
do u want to discover some more implausible reasons to not give the captaincy to Dhoni...
How about the captain needs to avg above 44+
or captain must be able to open in tests...
PS : IMO there needs only couple of reasons
1. does the cappo deserve a spot in the team in whatever role
2. Does he have the captaincy skills and track record
Dhoni gets High marks on both account...
India - World Cup winners 2011!!!
Champions Trophy winners 2013!!!
Congrats to Indian team and all Indian fans!
I hope max is convinced

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Tendulkar is the greatest cricketer of all time
MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!
Quote:anu_D
^ Dhoni will NEVER become test captain.
signed/-
a_D 10:57pm Kuwait Time, Jul 11th 2008
On the occasion of Dhoni taking over test captaincy & leading India to a test victory over world champs AUS..how does the above "definitive" post look?
Anu_D has had a bad month..
Palin lost...
Dhoni won...
Ganguly retired...
Dravid still in the team...
I am almost feeling a bit sorry for her...
...
NOT!!!...

_____
ICL Ko Support Karo Yaro...
BCCI Ko Joote Chappal Maro....
