Dhoni

Entertainment Cricket and Other Sports
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Re: Dhoni

why did we have to catch him in form :crying:
he takes the game away from u

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Re: Dhoni

yaar rahul what is a big deal about his average...he has only played only on sub-continental pitches so far and it is pre-mature to say anything about him as of now.....lets just wait...pakistan prepares one of the most pathetic pitches -totally batsmen friendly- therefore batting performances on these pitches do not mean much...same applies to the pak bastmen too.....but yeah, one thing is for sure that dhoni does not move his feet at all...however we also know that she-wag who does not move his feet either has scored all over the world........i remember she-wag scoring two centuries in NZ when rest of the players were not even able to score 20....so lets just wait ...

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Re: Dhoni

^ :rotfl:

fortunately, the detractors are a minor nuisance

====================================================

Let’s enjoy while this lasts!

(Min 30 ODI innings) Batsman Innings Runs Average 100s/ 50s
Mahendra Singh Dhoni 30 1056 50.29 2/ 5
Michael Clarke 41 1453 48.43 1/ 11
Inzamam-ul-Haq 38 1434 46.26 0/ 14
Shoaib Malik 41 1677 44.13 3/ 14
Rahul Dravid 48 1747 43.68 3/ 16
Kumar Sangakkara 53 1985 42.23 1/ 18
Marvan Atapattu 40 1537 41.54 1/ 14
Ricky Ponting 45 1703 41.54 4/ 10

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lol, after 35 matches....Dhoni has the highest batting average in the world (ODI)

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Dhoni is very good on sub-continent pitcvhes, we will wait and see how he fairs on other pitches but so far so good, he has some very powerful hitting

Yuvraj was outstanding!

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^^ thats true he hasent played on other kind of pitches like in englaind,australia etc

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The Cricket Interview / Inzamam-ul Haq

** ‘Dhoni is murderous’**

February 21, 2006

Having suffered from his blade in the just-concluded series, Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul Haq described Mahendra Singh Dhoni as “murderous” and a player to be watched in the 2007 World Cup.

The Indian wicketkeeper, who blasted 219 runs in the four innings of the five-match One-Day International series, at a stupendous strike rate of 137, “is safe behind the wickets and can be compared with Adam Gilchrist, though the Australian has proved himself as the best after years in commission”, Inzamam says.

On a high following his team’s brilliant performances last year, Inzamam finds himself the target of criticism after losing the ODI series to India by a comprehensive 1-4 margin. Suddenly, his tactics and all he did during the series are being faulted.

But the burly Pakistani is unruffled as he always is at the crease. His team lost to a superior foe, he admits.

Is he angry?

“I control my anger. If someone drops a catch and I get angry, will that catch come back to us? It won’t. Therefore it is better to be cool, because that helps in better performance,” he said.

Despite the ODI series loss to India, Inzamam believes the Pakistani team has grown better in the past two years.

“When India came here [Pakistan] in 2004, our boys were young and inexperienced. They have since played a lot of cricket in other countries that has given them experience and confidence,” he said.

The atmosphere in the Pakistani dressing room had definitely improved.

“When you have confidence the atmosphere in the dressing room also improves,” he added.

Religion was a binding force for his team.

“The players are more religious-minded today. We offer namaz (prayers) together five times a day. This has made a big difference,” said the Pakistan skipper.

*** Yuvraj, Pathan emerge best**

Analyzing the Indian team, Inzamam said, undoubtedly, batting was India’s strength as the line-up was very experienced. The bowlers are inexperienced but they are young and talented, he added.

He strongly disagrees with those who believe that Sachin Tendulkar is on the decline.

“He has shown by the way he batted that he is not on the decline. In my view, he is good enough for another four or five years,” Inzamam said,

He rated Tendulkar as one of the five best batsmen in the world along with Rahul Dravid, Ricky Ponting, Jacques Kallis and Brian Lara.

And where does Inzamam figure?

“Oh, Inzamam comes way behind them,” he replied modestly, notwithstanding the fact that he has an average of nearly 52 after 107 Tests, and about 40 in 356 ODIs.

To a question about the drop in Irfan Pathan’s speed, Inzamam replied: “If your line and length is good, you are effective. Even with speed you require line and length. He bowled very well in the one-dayers.”

Here is Inzamam’s take on the new talent in the Indian team:

** Yuvraj Singh:** He is an exciting young talent who has now learnt how to finish off games. He has the power to play big shots and is equally clever in finding the gaps, to nudge and push the balls for ones and twos. His footwork has improved tremendously ever since I saw him last year. The only time he looks uncomfortable is when he receives short-pitched deliveries, which we could not bowl as much as we would have liked because of the nature of Test pitches.

** M S Dhoni:** I can easily pick him as one of the players to be watched in the 2007 World Cup. He is unorthodox but very effective and at times murderous. He is difficult to bowl to because he has this ability to even hit the good balls with a jab shot. He is equally good in horizontal and vertical bat shots. He is safe behind the wickets and can be compared to Adam Gilchrist though the Australian has proved himself as the best after years in commission.

** Suresh Raina:** I did not get a chance to see him because the Indian top-order did not let the pressure come on to Raina and the later order batsmen. But I always believe that only the best players are picked to represent their countries and, therefore, Raina must be a good cricketer who will improve with every game. But consistency is the key and it applies to both, Raina as well as the selectors.

** Irfan Pathan:** He is blossoming into an all-rounder India so desperately needed to strike the right balance in one-day cricket. He was always a good bowler who bowled to a teasing line and length, but his batting has improved after Greg Chappell threw him in the deep pan and made him realise that he has the ability to graft the innings and at the same time play big shots.

** R P Singh:** A young and committed bowler who bowls with a lot of heart and determination. He is young and will surely gain speed and at the same time will maintain top grade fitness.

With a total of 8,172 Test and 11,251 one-day runs, and 25 and 10 centuries respectively, Inzamam is well on his way to becoming Pakistan’s greatest batsman.

How would he like to be remembered when he hangs his bat?

“If people remember me as one who contributed to Pakistan’s cricket, I will feel good. If people say good things, it makes me feel happy,” he responds shyly.

Rediff

- “is safe behind the wickets and can be compared with Adam Gilchrist, though the Australian has proved himself as the best after years in commission”

Well, firstly, that’s how Inzamam starts out, as we all know (Hamaray Tarazoo waley bhai nay bhi apni angraizi sudhaar li, aakhir kaar :p). The letter “i” in his dictionary comes in before the letter “a”, but in any case, a comparison to Gilchrist already? Gilchrist is miles ahead of Dhoni, from my point of view. This is certainly not stamping a potential decrease in the gap later down the road, but as of this moment, I believe Gilchrist is one of the best keepers in the world. The batting power of both men (and counting Afridi as a third person) can be looked upon in depth, but Inzamam’s first quote of the article seems very unreasonable (at least to me).

  • “On a high following his team’s brilliant performances last year, Inzamam finds himself the target of criticism after losing the ODI series to India by a comprehensive 1-4 margin. Suddenly, his tactics and all he did during the series are being faulted.”

Well, yes, isn’t that the case? Him and Younis coming down the order, the ‘age-old’ decisions that he acted upon, the middle-order collapse, bowling and fielding department…everything comes under scrutiny, starting from the captain.

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Re: Dhoni

I have said this in my Inzi Bashing Thread,

Inzi may lack in a lot of aspects, but God has lavished him with Humbleness, which is a very very rare trait, specially when you are an International figure, Hell agar main houta tou main tou zameen per pair bhi nahi rakhta.

If Not for Dravid right now (coz he is winning) Inzi would be my #1.

Aejaz

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No argument from this corner! :)

Fear.
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Re: Dhoni

Inzi is one member of the Pak team I truly regard very highly.
The one thing I like best about him his modesty. That and his cool/quiet no-frills temperament.

However such people, most of the time, do not fit into the category of "born leaders". But the desi school of thought being that the best player in the side should be the captain - he was made the captain. And the results are there for all to see. India will probably make the same mistake with Sehwag - who is equally rustic in his communication skills.

I don't blame the critics for coming on hard on Inzi after the ODI Series defeat, instead I blame them for praising Inzi's captaincy when Pak won the ODI Series in India. Believe me, he was the same Inzi then - and Pak did not win due to any exceptional captaincy on his part.

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Very well said, and I fully agree.

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I disagree, it was a different Inzamam we lost when he flew back to Pakistan. That Inzamam was showing signs of improvements as captain, signs of learning/adapting, while the Inzamam we saw here was totally dumb, sleepy, "follow plan A regardless" etc.

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Re: Dhoni

Well, you have the right to your opinion. I followed that series closely...and no particular moment stands out in my memory as an example of great captaincy by Inzi. If anything, I think Woolmer deserved far more credit e.g. for the way he utilized Afridi through the series.