Dhoni's declaration
A new post on Dhoni's declaration at Wellington is up at Different Strokes. Given the large number of comments, I'll post a follow-up tomorrow.
posted by Samir Chopra at 10:53 AM
Wednesday, April 08, 2009
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9 Comments:
I am commenting here coz I don't want to get lost in the deluge of comments over at Cricinfo :)
I think you are being a little harsh on Dhoni. Now, I don't believe in the crap about how one can plan for the weather. that is bs. And 500 is a pretty safe target in most cases. But you have to remember that in case it did not rain on the 5th day, there was a LOT of time left. and 500 would have been achievable on a pitch that was still good enough for batting. Given that a once-in-41-year series win was on the line, I think it was perfectly justifiable to make urself absolutely safe first and then go for a win.
as for the fact that no one has chased 500 in a 132 year history, well, there is always a first time. SA did chase 434 on ODIs :)
p.s. couldn't see the post-tea session on day 4 so can't comment on that. But from what i hear, if was an 8-1 field then it won us the Test against Aus. Maybe Dhoni wanted to try it out again?
Megha,
I'm not posting a follow-up here but one will appear soon on CI - because many people have expressed opinions similar to yours.
You were very young when Melbourne 1986 (Aus v. India) happened. Ask your dad what happened in that test and whether teams should keep one eye on the weather or not :) He and I got up very early in the morning to listen to the commentary. It was quite a heart-breaking experience.
Cheers,
Samir
oops...perhaps I did not word it properly. I am with u on the weather bit. It is stupid not to plan according to weather conditions. You need time to bowl out the opposition in case it rains. But you also need runs on the board in case it doesnt rain that much and the opposition are up for a chase...looking forward to the follow up...
I'll ask dad about the Melbourne test :)
This comment has been removed by the author.
I remember what happened in Melbourne Samir. Exactly what India should've done differently? Teams have gotten out for 125 in 4th innings in 50 overs more often then winning, havent they? Indians could've been 6 down for 100 in 25 overs in an attempt to score quickly, no? I do regret India not winning that series, probably my second biggest regret (1st being India's world cup exit in WI). But bottomline is - one can never plan around weather... NEVER... I mean both of us work/live in New York. How many times were we trapped without umbrella in either morning or evening commutte?
Samir
Reposting it here from cricinfo...
You're dead on target with your comments. I have been frustrated and praying over the last few days that someone writes an article about it. If you are aiming to be the No. 1 team in the world then you have got to start winning lots of test matches, grab every situation and make it into a winning one. In this case, it was a full blown winning situation!!! The problem was not that Dhoni slightly miscalculated the Kiwis defensive qualities and the last wicket pair held on for 10-15 overs so it seemed like a late declaration in hindsight, as it happens in some matches. Here, everyone knew the weather forecasts and what was going to happen.
I don't think Dhoni and the team ever wanted to win this test unless it was handed to them on a platter. Now, I'm a great fan of his, so this is not a personal attack on him but probably shows the kind of pressures our captains are under, and hence their attitudes to ensure things don't go wrong rather than going for broke.
Vinay
Hi samir,
You are absolutely right. India needs to be more ruthless and develop a winning habit. they need to forego a conservative approach. To be the best in the world, Dhoni's men need to learn the art of winning from dead rubbers/ dull situations and lost causes. The way we came back in the 2nd test was amazing and then we let go an oppurtunity to win series 2-0 was dissapointing to say the least.
2-0 would have tasted much sweeter. The timing of declaration is the most important cause apart from the dropped catches that we could not win 2-nil
Since there is a character limit, i have posted my view/comments on the link given below.
http://sunitbansal.blogspot.com/
i just spoke to dad about that '86 test and this one...his opinions are exactly (and I mean *exactly*) the same as yours...
Pankaj: Welcome to the blog. India could have scored much quicker then! Sunny and Kris didn't even try - India scored 59 off 25 overs before the rain came down. As for the fickleness of the weather, sure it is, but I still plan around it. Captains should as well.
Vinay: Welcome to the blog. I agree with the pressure bit. But I wonder how it will change if someone doesn't make the first move.
Sunit: Welcome to the blog. I read your post - very similar thoughts I agree!
Megha: Thats good to know :) He and I think alike on stuff like this!
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