Sluggish Dhoni Spoils Yuvraj’S Dream Comeback

[tom brady]

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India lost a T20 cliffhanger against New Zealand in Chennai on Tuesday. A lion’s share of the blame for the loss goes to captain M S Dhoni, who almost single-handedly converted what looked like a runaway victory at one stage to a one-run loss. In the process, Dhoni also spoilt what looked like becoming a memorable comeback for cancer-conqueror Yuvraj Singh.[/font][/color][color=#000000][font=Arial]
Victory and defeat are part of any sport. But Dhoni’s attitude during his sluggish stay was baffling to say the least. The Indian captain strode in when 48 were required off 40 balls. With seven wickets still to spare, few would have dared betting against an India win at this stage.[/font][/color][color=#000000][font=Arial]
But Dhoni was totally out of sorts. He struggled to put bat to ball and was often unable to spot the slower deliveries of the Kiwi quicks. He made scoring runs appear to be the hardest thing in the world. It was, as if, the match had been suddenly shifted to a new pitch. Dhoni’s uncertain batting also broke Yuvraj’s rhythm, who after a chancy start, was playing some vintage shots at that stage.[/font][/color][color=#000000][font=Arial]
In the end Dhoni finished with an unbeaten 22 off 23 balls for a strike rate of 95. By T20 standards, that is abysmal. On the night, it was simply a match-losing innings.[/font][/color][color=#000000][font=Arial]
One question for everybody who saw the game – why did Dhoni take the second run on the fifth ball of the last over leaving the newly-arrived and out-of-form Rohit Sharma to face the last ball and hit a four? Was it because Dhoni felt that hitting a boundary would be easier for Rohit than the captain hitting a six? Mind you, if they had taken one run on the fifth ball and had Dhoni hit a four off the last delivery, then the match would have been tied and gone into a super over. What was the percentage move then?[/font][/color][color=#000000][font=Arial]
Do you think Dhoni didn’t want to face the last ball because he wasn’t feeling confident enough? I don’t know. Only the Indian captain would be able to give an honest answer to this question. I think real leadership is about taking responsibility. Something Dhoni normally excels at. So what was this then?[/font][/color][color=#000000][font=Arial]
By the way, one of the great mythologies of Indian cricket is that Dhoni is a great T20 batsman. At least statistics don’t suggest that. His strike rate is just 109. The truth is that he is a great ODI batsman but certainly not a great T20 batter.[/font][/color][color=#000000][font=Arial]
India’s biggest takeaway from this game is Yuvraj. He seemed to be gaining in confidence with each delivery though he looked a little out of breath towards the end of his innings. [/font][/color][color=#000000][font=Arial]
The defeat is a wake-up call for Team India. When you have Zaheer Khan in a T20 team, it means you are living in the past. I know he bowled well but that's not the point. Khan wasn’t there when we won the T20 world cup in 2007. How has he become indispensable for a T20 squad today when his fielding and batting have further nosedived?[/font][/color][color=#000000][font=Arial]
The truth is Team India is hugely dependent on Virat Kohli’s batting these days. His superlative shows, match after match, have covered up a series of mediocre performances by many in the team. On Tuesday, he just fell one run short of taking us to our target of 168.[/font][/color][color=#000000][font=Arial]
It’s early days yet but I am not too optimistic about our world cup chances at the moment. I have been watching the Pakistan-Australia T20 series and I feel both these teams are far more balanced than Dhoni’s unit.[/font][/color][color=#000000][font=Arial]
Let us hope Team India builds up a sweet rhythm over the next few weeks. Let us hope they do it for Yuvi’s sake[/font][/color]


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Loude gaadu thu [/font][/color]

[raghavraghav]

laafoot gadu

[tel_muddu]

mama nuvvu rasava .. copy paste chesava??

[tom brady]

[quote name='tel_muddu' timestamp='1347406127' post='1302462053']
mama nuvvu rasava .. copy paste chesava??
[/quote]
nenu raasinde...inka vuntayi chudu opika unte naa previous posts...

[tel_muddu]

too much opika undi neeku...

[tom brady]

[quote name='tel_muddu' timestamp='1347406308' post='1302462065']
too much opika undi neeku...
[/quote]
thanx rey.....but evvaru chadavaru....ade badha

[peru_edaite_enti]

[quote name='tom brady' timestamp='1347406234' post='1302462059']
nenu raasinde...inka vuntayi chudu opika unte naa previous posts...
[/quote]

em unnai previous posts... feem feem fls taffa. !':

[peru_edaite_enti]

[quote name='tom brady' timestamp='1347406381' post='1302462069']
thanx rey.....but evvaru chadavaru....ade badha
[/quote]

nee feru ni avijit ghosh ga eppudu marchesavu re???

[tom brady]

[quote name='CBZ' timestamp='1347406382' post='1302462070']
em unnai previous posts... feem feem fls taffa. !':
[/quote]
....wassp baavoo em nadustondi

[peru_edaite_enti]

[quote name='tom brady' timestamp='1347406941' post='1302462105']
....wassp baavoo em nadustondi
[/quote]

em le... ettundi aftermath?

[tom brady]

[quote name='CBZ' timestamp='1347407175' post='1302462126']
em le... ettundi aftermath?
[/quote]
fine yaa..india povadaniki ok ayyindi office lo...dates set cheskovali

[peru_edaite_enti]

[quote name='tom brady' timestamp='1347407375' post='1302462132']
fine yaa..india povadaniki ok ayyindi office lo...dates set cheskovali
[/quote]

ee month oo enni days oo telisinda?

[tom brady]

[quote name='CBZ' timestamp='1347407427' post='1302462134']
ee month oo enni days oo telisinda?
[/quote]
2 weeks ani cheppa bt 3 weeks ki buk cheskunta....oct end or nov...