Cricket - FOREVER

Perfectly timed retirement from MSD, from an MSD brand POV. Now to mute ears to all the "look ma, MSD timed his retirement better than SRT" bull shit. On a serious note, vice-captain is Pissant?  ayyo ayyo...

Even though it is about frigging time kinda feel sad at the moment .

Reg retirement timing thingy, sorry he was sacked 2 years back by Amarnath only to be saved by Mama. So that argument won't fly.

Kaaling wrote:Reg retirement timing thingy, sorry he was sacked 2 years back by Amarnath only to be saved by Mama. So that argument won't fly.

Neenga soltaa aachaa? That's what is being canonized in mainstream sosial and otherwise media outlets.

Drunkenmunk wrote:

Kaaling wrote:Reg retirement timing thingy, sorry he was sacked 2 years back by Amarnath only to be saved by Mama. So that argument won't fly.

Neenga soltaa aachaa? That's what is being canonized in mainstream sosial and otherwise media outlets.

naan solli aagaporadhu onnum illai lol

Dhoni fans are wasting no time in bombarding social media with 1) giving-way-for-youth at the right time and 2) didn't ask for a home series to retire ala Sachin.
1) He should've quit as test captain after the 2 whitewashes and held on only due to his clout. That was the right time if there was any.
2) It is clear Dhoni doesn't care about test matches. So why bother arranging a home series to showcase his hockey stick and bruce lee shots.

BTB, Pringle hit the nail on head
@derekpringle  ·  2h 2 hours ago
Dhoni appeared impressively cool under duress but to suggest he was a great Test captain is spinning it more than Prasanna & Bedi ever did

We need a "Dhoni: lost the lot" picture similar to the one circulated by Wizzy during Ponting's retirement.

OTOH, he is a gun ODI bat and a good captain in limited overs formats.

phew finally   quitting after a high of drawing a overseas test and almost single-handedly getting the team to no.7 in ICC rankings  
 though not sure hot collar Kohls is ready for the mantle.

bruce lee shots.

 for the uninitiated 

Arnab Goosewami giving things an enjoyable spin, running a full hr prime time series on "Did MSD resign because BCCI were anyway making Kohli the captain in the 4th test?"

This was on the cards.  You could tell from the way the commentators, esp Dada, were baying for his blood in the post match analysis.  They were simply preparing the ground for the 'shock' exit.  

I am not sure the reason here was purely to do with his performance.  But be that as it may, Dhoni's somewhat uncommunicative style ultimately burdened him once he ran out of seniors who knew what to do without having to be told every time by the captain.  First the big four/Kumble, then Harby, Zak, then Sehwag/Gambhir and even Yuvraj (for ODIs).  He probably found himself in a similar position as Ponting after the retirement of their Golden Generation and reacted in a not too dissimilar fashion.  The inspirational captain who beat the odds spectacularly in the first World T20 was never really seen in Test cricket and once the veterans were out of the team, his limitations were more apparent.

Yeah, and whistle podu for the timing.  After the fourth consecutive rout in Aus and Eng, surely, he was way past it. It may not be entirely his fault because he can only get so far with the 10 other idiots but as captain, the buck stops with him. If he reaped the harvest of India's golden years, he must cop it now likewise.

crimson king wrote:I am not sure the reason here was purely to do with his performance. 

Journo friend to me yesterday:

"One of my colleagues apparently had one off the record with Dhoni following the 0-4 in Australia in 2011. So in a casual conversation the topic of retirement came up. So when my colleague asked him, do you have an exit strategy in mind as yet, Dhoni's answer was thus. "Haan ji. First Tests. People may want me to quit captaincy and continue as a keeper/ batsmen to help the next captaincy, but both of us know that won't happen. I'm not a good batsman or a good keeper to continue being in the team if I quit captaincy.""

That explanation is not surprising as such and Dhoni has given enough hints over the years that the long form of cricket is not really his favourite.  The thing is, when a captain steps down both from that role and also from the team with another match to go, albeit a dead rubber, it's implausible that it would be just his personal decision.  Maybe in the case of a Swann-like meltdown and Dhoni is not that sort and Indian players do not generally go away like that in a blaze.  It could be something to do with him getting dragged into the CSK-Srini mess and some straw may have broken the proverbial camel's back lately.  I don't find the official explanation convincing, but, as with the VVS retirement, it may be the last we hear of it.

Che dropped and Nohit/Raina in 11   this is like double check in chess, Kohls gets to ward off his competition and Shastrival
gets to pimp, Dhawan slapping Kohls couldn't have been timed any better 

Kohli is going to learn the old adage "a captain is only as good as his team" pretty soon at this rate.    Mudhal naalle marana-adi.

The world cup match started on 15 feb. Eagerly waiting for to watch team india play with pakistan.

Whether to put this thumping win (and be relieved that we still have the bragging rights) to a marked improvement in the Indian team or to a piss poor Pakistan team (barring Misbah). The Hamlet in us

Kohls   was just coasting in neutral gear, after watching Saffers getting clobbered by Zimboks I expect him to double up @MCG.
Rainman would have been my 'man of the player' as Rameez puts it, late order collapse was a reminiscent  of our match against '11 Saffers,
if only Pak had a single decent bat to support Misbah. Ajmal/Junaid least would have made it competitive. Paks are in Mayila pudichi kaala odachi phase given the injuries/bans, shudder to think of the lows they would reach if Misbah calls it quits, the day he retires BCCI should call for 10 match odi series and course correct the loses suffered @ Sharjah 

OTOH Tony's batting has really gone to the pits, he was all over the shop against Riyaz, late on the shot every single time. 
Ash got his loop back after a long time 

peeps should switch over to hindi commentary whenever VVS is on,our man is killing it, might even get a notice from HRD ministry for the services
rendered 

Wizzy wrote:OTOH Tony's batting has really gone to the pits, he was all over the shop against Riyaz, late on the shot every single time. 
Ash got his loop back after a long time 

peeps should switch over to hindi commentary whenever VVS is on,our man is killing it, might even get a notice from HRD ministry for the services rendered 

 he's awesome. Like Delhi Ganesh in Thenali getting Thenali's name wrong each time, I love how he gets Shikhar Dhawan wrong every time. Srikar Dhawan, Shekar Dhawan and so on. Also, what's with the puli kutty thambi poona kutti, poona kutty thambi Dhawan patti level hairstyle? 

Yeah Tony boy's six was also baseball techniqued. Eventually was beaten for pace. But must be said, was spot on with his field placings and bowling changes. After a Loooooonnnngggg time.

Ash would be my player of the man. His first tight spell was the turning point upon which Umesh was able to induce a brain fade from Shehzad and Sohaib and pick those 2 quick wickets and seal the game. Rainman got a wee bit lucky with the short square. Mishits carried for sixers which would be comfortably caught in say an MCG.

Wizzy wrote:Kohls 

Took forever to get going and sucked up the momentum @ the end completely. Wahab riaz and the other bowler bowled very well to both him and dhoni. Saffers will sort him out easily if he continues his crappy form. Couldn't take singles in at-least a dozen instances that i alone saw and ranout a surprisingly good looking Dhawan also.

Idhula rameez @#$%^&& compares him to tendulkar vera...Yenda @#QE wasim/waqar/shoaib/saqlain/ enge indha present pak moothevigal enge??.

Promoting to raina@4 is the best thing dhoni did all summer. He was the difference between 270 and 300. There are upsets waiting in order, imo for india.
Rooting for NZ to win the cup.

Ireland beating WI like nobody's business. India vs Ireland should be fantastic..

Ash would be my player of the man. His first tight spell was the turning point upon which Umesh was able to induce a brain fade from Shehzad and Sohaib and pick those 2 quick wickets and seal the game.

he did. had he nicked couple more wickets then yes, Misbah spoiled his bowling figures,
Rainman was the different between the sides, take him out Pak could have won in canter chasing ~260//

Took forever to get going and sucked up the momentum @ the end completely. Wahab riaz and the other bowler bowled very well to both him and dhoni. Saffers will sort him out easily if he continues his crappy form. Couldn't take singles in at-least a dozen instances that i alone saw and ranout a surprisingly good looking Dhawan also. 

given Tony/Kaddu struggles and Ind's never ending tail and his own struggles with left arm angle,Kohls actually did well to hold one end up with Rainman thrashing it allover else Ind would be allout by 45overs.
wish he was a bit more selfish and played all 50. 

also India won't be playing Oz/Eng/Kiwis till knockouts so Kohls 
can fill the boots to 500+ before Ind reach there

Idhula rameez @#$%^&& compares him to tendulkar vera...Yenda @#QE wasim/waqar/shoaib/saqlain/ enge indha present pak moothevigal enge??.

forget that attack, the attack Kohls got to face in this series was lot more potent and in form.  

http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/current/match/589308.html

In this match Kohls was hardly tested on his offside, they kept it short of good length and he kept guiding it to third man until Misbah woke
up from slumber and plugged the hole.


Rahane is a misfit if he doesn't get in before the final powerplay. Ind may as well play Mamti Rayudu for his
slogs and chucks to fill in some overs.

Ireland beating WI like nobody's business. India vs Ireland should be fantastic..

friday match between Pak Vs Widies will be a knockout. yam punting on India going down against one of IRL/Zimoks with Nohit scoring a double in one of them or Pak ending the worldcup streak @ Sydney, ends where it all started 

Have to disagree wrt quality of bowling attack.

Hole up one end??. He was trying to get himself run out every now and then and he succeeded in getting dhawan out. He was very lucky not to get out. Very scratchy. A good swing bowling attack will expose his weakness once again. Waiting for Ind vs SA and Ind vs Ire.

A good swing bowling attack will expose his weakness once again.

concur but he won't be facing any in the next 5, on the evidence of Zimboks manhandling Steyn gun
and the patta'ness of these drop-in pitches I expect Kohls to fill up his boots @ MCG. 
India have a very good chance of finishing
at the top of the group and play Lanka in the quarters, we all know how that pans out 

P.S have you seen 'Better Call Saul', thots on it?

D/l it...Innum paakala....Lets see tomorrow IND vs SA tomorrow

ha ha ha. Youth indian plastic fans in a frenzy.
* Indian win - check
* Punjabi/jat hero to cover NCR market(primary market for consumer goods) - Check
* Indian batsmen get tailor made conditions- check

This is getting too boring to predict. 2 min silence for both innocent indian fans who were genuinely concerned by the tri series performancde and india haters who thought they could have a field day in the World cup.

Rahane is quite a thing to watch. Beauty. Also, India on the field and with the ball

Looks like SF is done deal. Ayyo WC mattum gelichuttA indha Tony pans rowsu thaanga mudiyaadhu'ndradhu oru pakkam irukka, it would cement his status as one of the genuine GOATs in One Day Cricket beyond doubt. Already strong case. Also, ingerndhu WC jeyicha, it could be without loss this edition. Added to 4 wins from the previous tourney. Anandha kaNNeer orupuram irukka, WomyGaadGanesha. May all the power be with the Black Caps, though their seam bowling/batting may get exposed on the comparatively flatter tracks and much bigger grounds in Aus land at the business end of the tournament.

Rahane is quite a thing to watch. 

jizzworthy,epecially the 6 off Steyn and those back-back 4s againsst Morkel, he has so much time to play the quickies.

 Indian batsmen get tailor made conditions- check

yam all eyes for Indian bats when they get to play Southee/Boult in Kiwiland. 
Messai Murukesh's show against Proteas caught me by surprise, thought he wouldn't survive given his offside frailties.
Nohit will activate beast mode against UAE/IRE.

India finish @ 1 and face their kryptonite Eng in the quarters will be slippery slope or they can fake a lose against Windies to play Lankans.
this strategy will also bump off Paks from WC(though Paks are abundantly capable of doing it on their own by losing against Zimboks)

Pakistan

Very reminiscent of this Osman Samiuddin piece on their 'Haal': http://www.theguardian.com/sport/the-nightwatchman/2014/nov/17/exploring-soul-pakistan-cricket-team-lazy-impatient-brilliant

South Africa

Put them in a chase, score 230+, they start well but you let your bowlers come hard at their middle order, they choke and die. From 1993 ('92 were done by the rain tbf) Hero Cup Semis at Calcutta, one Total Cup collapse and death vs Pakistan at Durban, 1996 WC QF where they ran into Lara in Karachi, 1996 Titan Cup Final against India at Bombay, 1999 WC SF, that greatest ODI vs Aus at Birmingham, 2000 Knockout Trophy SF vs India, Nairobi, running into Ganguly while bowling and Kumble while chasing and ultimately dying, 2002 Champion's Trophy SF at Colombo where they choked to Zak and Viru, 2003 WC league game vs SL at Durban, outrageous comedy tying a game to win and bowing out, a couple of World T20 lulzs at the hands of India and Pakistan in Durban and Nottingham, 2011 WC QF vs NZ at Dhaka and here in 2015 vs us at Melbourne and vs Pak at Auckland (not to mention innumerable inconsequential bilateral and triseries games). In almost every game mentioned above, they were coasting, dominating, doing okay at some point. Every game above is a choke (except maybe the MCG game where we beat them comprehensively 2 weeks back, but core issue of middle order weakness remains).

Across the globe, over the years (more than a couple of decades), big stages, against almost every major team. In the chase, middle order attacked. They crumble. Has to do something beyond mindset. Something in their domestic structure and an inherent weakness in their team structuring. They are doing it wrong.

PS: Ireland beating Zimbabwe leaves Ireland, Pakistan and South Africa with 6 points. If WI beat UAE, that puts them also on 6 points. A pity we had to bear 3 weeks of drudgery to get to this.