So who thinks Yuvi should've won the MOtM today raise your hand.
(*Leela raises her hand*)
OK so I think Yuvi is a bit of a pompous you-know-what, and I like Ojh, but I do think Yuvi was the game-changer. He played like his (occasional) imperious self and took those splendid catches. But someone obviously does not like him.
(Hmm.)
And considering that when he came in to bat the innings was meandering along (thanks to Gauti, who was batting at a deplorable SR of 100% (chee chee what an underachiever!) and "evil" Dhoni, who decided to upstage his more-than-capable batsmen by promoting himself to #3) Yuvi did a splendid job.
Meanwhile,
OK Dhoni good joke. Now can you shift yourself back to #6?
I am not sure who is making this decision but Dhoni is turning into a bit of a momentum killer and its affecting the final total. Don't get me wrong I don't mind seeing Dhoni at #3, but in his current avatar ("slow and steady wins the race") I would prefer him at #6 and Yuvi or Raina at #3.
Meanwhile after the first few overs, the Deshis were outa the race, so all in all a comfortable win.
Phew!
37 Maidens bowled!!:
Dhoni is to T20s what RD is to tests these days!!!!
(This is a re-post from the comments section of the previous post. I wrote this before you "undeleted" this post. :-)
Ah Leela,
TG was not the only one who noticed that "lost" post of yours!!! You know, you should have more love for MSD (if that is possible). 26 runs in 21 balls is not too shabby. True, it was quite a momentum-slowing innings but it wasn't a game-killer as some people in the commentary booth were making it out to be.
Yes, Yuvi bailed us out, but look at it this way:
After Dhoni got out, India scored 68 runs in 5.3 overs. Surely, when a team has 8 wickets in hand you'd expect them to get at 10-12 an over anyway. Yuvi just accelerated the process but in the big scheme we got what should be considered par when the score is 112 for 2 after 14.3 overs... Before that, in 7.1 overs (43 balls), Dhoni-Gambhir put on 53 runs consolidating on the fast start without taking ANY risks.
The fact that MSD and GG were not finding the boundaries gave the impression that they were dawdling. They dawdled at more than 7 runs per over. :-)
Take a look at the Deshi (as you call it) scorecard. Did you realize that Junaid Siddiqui took just 4 more balls than Yuvi did to score 41 runs!! What he did not get was the support from his teammates. It's all about perspective. MSD and GG set the stage for Yuvi to have the license to flourish. And he did.
Which is why I thought Pragyan Ojha deserved the MoM more than Yuvi. Ojha ended any hopes the Deshis had of winning and maintained pressure for all 4 of his overs. He gave up a 6 only after everything was done bar the shouting.
Mixing metaphors, let's not be looking for every pockmark on a beautiful face and mistake it for a crater. :-)
The problem is not his position in the order but his inability to get the big hits. He could come in at 6 and he'd still have the same problem.
I think Ojha deserved the Man of the Match Award, and you kind of yourself said it why by saying Bangladesh were out of the game by the end of the first few overs. It happened because Ojha came on and got rid of Shakib, Junaid and Mahmudullah.
Props to Yuvraj for providing the final kick and also for taking two really good catches, but you just have to see the difference between Ojha and the rest of the bowlers to appreciate how well he bowled.
I have to disagree with Jaunty about Gambhir and Dhoni. The two wanted to get a move on but were unable to. Obviously the next best option would be to ensure every ball is scored of and they did it. Against a better side a partnership like the one might just cost us the game.
So u did decide to publish this post after all :-)
Yuvi should have been Motm.. I agree. If he did not fire, India would have lost despite Ojha's wickets. Simple.
Raina is such a waste at 5.
Do you really believe that Dhoni woild have hit 11 runs of 3 balls like Irfan? A SR of about 125 is quite good for a no.3 since wickets have to be retained for the final assault. Besides he got out at the right time didn't he? (Well OK, he could have got out six balls earlier and then we might have got to 190!)
Ojha undoubtedly deserved the man-of-the-match award.
Leaving aside my personal dislike of Yuvraj, the Bangladeshi batsmen were running away with the game before Ojha came in and applied the breaks. I mean, 4-0-21-4? A bowler would kill for a spell like that in a T20! In the bigger scheme of things, those extra 20-odd runs Yuvi got us did matter, but there is no doubt in my mind that it was Ojha who sealed the match for us.
About MSD. I've seen commentary going on about how Dhoni came in at 3 "and struggled to get going and killed off the momentum". Really? Obviously Gauti's just-better-than-run-a-ball 50 had only Gayle's 88 to compete with in terms of audacity and strike rate, huh.
MSD was definitely trying to get going, but wasn't having much success against the spinners, who, hey, actually enjoy quite a bit of success in this format of the game.
Not that I entirely approve of his decision to saunter in at 3. But it's a conundrum, right? Where do you accommodate MSD in the batting order? In his new "responsible" avatar, he takes more time to settle at the crease, running those initial runs before breaking out, if at all. He's already mentioned how he needs a couple of overs to get settled before he can really get cracking - not like before, when he'd do the axeman impression from the get-go. He has other people specialised in that dept now. Tell me, would you rather Dhoni come at no. 6 or Yusuf Pathan, when there're 2-3 overs left and some serious slogging to do?
I think this new move is designed to give himself more of a chance and also to be more helpful to the team. His innings only looked like the momentum-killer because the normally fluent Gambhir was struggling at the other end.
Come back, Sehwag. We miss you.
Even by his abysmal standard, did Dhoni the woodcutter bat uglier ever? I think only McCullum is giving him good company.
I like this layout.....:)
ok..now to business......I too agree and don't understand why Dhoni bats at no. 3.....
I was wondering about his captaincy and wrote my thoughts on it. Just check it out - (Essecially since your a fan of Mahi)
http://christopherdavid007.blogspot.com/2009/06/can-anyone-understand-dhonis-captaincy.html
http://christopherdavid007.blogspot.com/2009/06/can-anyone-understand-dhonis-captaincy.html
Prabu,
Dhoni despite his "lean patch" is scoring at a much better SR than a lot of T20 players.
No, he is not like Dravid.
Good lord, not at all.
JQ/Adverbin,
Yes, he still scored at a good SR. Its just that the momentum is slowing down. Especially with GG scoring the way he is.
Actually he is not going thru a lean patch, Gauti is. And because of that we need someone one the other side who can up the RR.
Yuvi is flaky, so Raina is my choice.
Mahek,
True at any position, he'll be the same. So why not use someone like Raina who'll keep the momentum going?
Ojh bowled really well, but those two wickets were as much the fielder's (Yuvi) wickets as they were Ojh's.
Q,
Thanks for agreeing with me!
:-)
Maithreyi dear, you just beat me to what I wanted to say.
Yes its because of GG that I feel Dhoni must drop down.
Curiously ppl are saying Dhoni is going thru a bad patch, while stats will show you that in the last 10 innings he has outscored GG.
And since GG has slowed down, we need someone like Raina on the other end.
Som,
Abysmal standard
He has been a top player by ICC standards. I wouldn't be so harsh.
Despite his limited technique he scores unlike over-rated batsmen who crumble.
CPD,
Thanks.
I will surely check out the link.
Oh I wasn't trying to justify Dhoni promoting himself to number 3, that position is Raina's by right. I'm just saying the captain hasn't been able to accelerate the scoring no matter where he's batted.
Gambhir hasn't been at his best, neither has Dhoni. In fact the two batsmen who have performed well are Sharma and Raina so they should bat in the top 3 or 4 no matter what.
Another thing I'd like to see is Sehwag replacing Irfan whenever he gets fit. It would mean we go in with only two pace bowlers but I think we're better off that way. Yusuf Pathan can bowl during the powerplay overs.
I actually think Ojha was the right choice for Man of the Match (though I admit I haven't seen the game, so I'm basing my judgement purely on the numbers).
In twenty20, a good spell of bowling is rarer, more vital, and harder to achieve than a good innings. So given a choice between a batsman and a bowler who both turned in good performances, I would go for the bowler every single time.
And this was not just a 'good' spell of bowling; it was exceptional. 4-21 in 4 overs beats 41 off 18 balls every time, no matter what the format :-)
As for the second part of your post, yes, Dhoni does seem to have mellowed down into an accumulator recently across all formats of the game. It's been a while since we saw those flat sixes.
Sharath
P.S. I see you have some axe to grind against Dravid ("Dhoni's not like Dravid, good lord, not at all"). An argument for another day :-P
Mahek,
fact the two batsmen who have performed well are Sharma and Raina so they should bat in the top 3 or 4 no matter what.
Agreed.
I am always reluctant to drop I Pathan. Everytime I think he is useless, he comes up with a performance!
Sharath,
Yup in a batsmen's game those figures are goldmine indeed.
Anyway, if I am not mistaken, the MOtM is voted by the comm panel. If that is true I can see why Ojh would've won; most of you are supporting him.
:-)
[Dravid] An argument for another day
Uh oh! First I antagonize Badri supporters, now Dravid supporters.
Eeps!
Maithreyi, if Dhoni is struggling to hit big, then his USP for being in the team is gone. India has definitely a lot of better batsman than him who can hit much bigger if required; or if we need consolidation, there are batsmen better than him who can do that. Even DInesh Karthik was hitting big in IPL you know? Dhoni established himself ahead of Karthik based on his big hitting. So, if in current scheme of things, Karthik is a bigger hitter than Dhoni...plese complete that sentence yourself.
To be captain, you need to deserve to be in the team first.
Raj,
Yes, lets dump Dhoni;
instead make Veeru the captain so that he can look confused when someone tees off;
better yet make Yuvi captain, so he can charm us to death
or make GG the captain, so that he can repeat his sentences and bore us,
or Zak, so that by the time the field is set, game over;
or Bhajji, so he can slap someone,
or Badri so that he can bat where he wants.
And while we are at it, lets dump dhoni in the water, if he floats declare him a witch and burn him at the stake.
P.S. Sorry if I sound a bit violent there, but I've been reading about the Dark Ages in Medieval Europe.
P.P.S I am too young to have BP related health issue.
P.P.P.S Pls don't mind the outburst.
I dont mind the outburst but now are we saying Dhoni should be in the team because nobody else can captain? What a comedown for the rockstar who was the big-hitting miracle wicketkeeper who was the future of Indian Cricket, a few years back. Ia m talking about his pre-captaincy years when he was considered the future of Indian cricket without considering his captaincy skills! Now, the argument is his captaincy skills keep him in the team...we are imprving, we ar improving!
Raj,
His captaincy is still great, and he is still a good wkt-keeper and #6 batsman. I am not sure what else he should do.
Kartik set a record for # of byes when he replaced Dhoni and both he and Partiv were abysmal in SL.
I rest my case.
Karthik set a record for byes...
if you understand Tamil:
Adhu pona maasam, naan solradhu indha maasam( a popular dialogue from a movie meaning "that was then, this is now")
Karthik was always the more promising wicket keeper but unfortunately since Dhoni wasnt willing to bet his career on his batting alone, and positioned himself as Wk-batsman, Karthik converted himself into an opening batsman and lost precious years in honing Wk skills. If Dhoni had the guts to position himself as a batsman, Karthik could have by now bloomed into an excelletn wk-average bat for India. Unfortunately we got the average wk-super bat Dhoni who has now become avg wk - avg batsman which means he has exhausted his quota of pampering.
Raj,
If Dhoni had the guts to position himself as a batsman, Karthik could have by now bloomed into an excelletn wk-average bat for India.
Eh?!? Seriously?
Dhoni will do what it takes for him to get into the team. And Kartik should take care of himself. And where are the selectors in all this?
Leela, the point is different. Now, Dhoni has come back to the pack. Once he was a heads and shoulders above candidate thanks to his Explosive Batting. Now that that has gone, he is vulnerable like Ganguly in his bad days. We should recognise that unless he contributes big with bat, he is not the cut-and-right choice for wk-batsman.
Raj,
1. If the point is diff now, why are we talking of the past?
2.In the past their was a choice for wkt-keeper/batsman.
Among Kartik, Parthiv, and Dhoni- MSD was the best. He was selected.
3. Everytime, Parthiv or Kartik replaced Dhoni for a series, they failed in the last 2 years.
4. In the present Dhoni is wkt-keeper + batsmen + captain.
And if he consider his contributions in that role, he is still doing the best.
Raj,
We should recognise that unless he contributes big with bat, he is not the cut-and-right choice for wk-batsman.
He IS contributing as wkt-keeper too.
?
pampering
??
Meaning thrown to the wolves as a captain of a T20 tournament when no one wanted to captain?
He has no Godfathers in the camp. As far as regional politics are concerned, Jharkhand is not imp.
The man has made it big on his own.
Wow, an argument to drop Dhoni from the side. Now I've seen everything :-/
Sehwag out of the tournament, and South Africa defend 128, against NZ no less. I think they may have just become the favourites over India.
Sharath,
You'd be surprised how many ppl want Dhoni dropped.
:-)
Saffers were termed favs right at the start of the tournament... so me not surprised. However, I'll be really surprised if they get past the semis.
I don't know if this sort of question is allowed (I don't usually comment on blogs so I don't know the etiquette), but where are you from, originally?
And how did you happen to cultivate an interest in cricket? I thought following a cricket and being a girl belonged to two separate universes? (Not being sexist or anything, just stating a fact)
Getting bored at work, as usual, and no chucking posts to argue over today :-)
That should have been "following cricket and being a girl".
I should really proof-read my posts before I post them :-/
Yes, I have proof-read this one :-)
Sharath,
I don't like to divulge personal info; however, you have politely asked so I'll oblige. Plus I think those who read my blog regularly already know this much.
I am from AP, but lived mostly in the north (army brat!), so consider myself pan-Indian.
You'd be surprised how many women love cricket. Well a lot hate it too, I'll give you that much.
:-)
However, on my very own blogroll, you'll see lots of female cricket bloggers (& damn good ones too- if I may say so.)
I started watching cricket with my brother/cousins, later with my brother-in-law, and now with my man.
At my age, (no I am not a 20-something :-(, but I am younger than Priety Zinta YAY!) its tough to find female company to discuss cricket with. Hence the blog.
Maybe because cricket unfolds at a slower pace than other sports, there is more chance to observe human drama and that is why I like it.
You know its a team sport where individuals can be put on a spot. Love that.
Anyway, trust me, I am still considered a weirdo.
:-)
Thatz all as far as personal info is concerned. The End!
Ah, I am from AP too - I've been living in New Zealand for close to eight years now, but still fiercely Telugu, except when I am speaking or typing in English :-)
Oh, of course, I've known girls who LIKE cricket; just not many of them KNOW much about it. You seem to. That's why I asked.
Oh, and yes, since we're using her as a reference point, I am slightly 'more younger' than Preity Zinta than you are :-P
Sharath
Sharath,
I am fiercly Telegu too (except can barely read, and forget writing-a fact that I am ashamed of. Oh well.)
Yes, I too surprise myself with the "knowledge" that I have.
But I guess when you've watched the game long enough, and looked past just the "cute cricketer" you start picking up nuances of the game.
And nowadays the coverage is so good. They pretty much explain everything. That helps too.
I know some of us female fans are as passionate about the game as the men. Just that we are still a few of us. Maybe with T20, it'll change.
:-)
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