RE:At last Dravid woke up ???
by Sarath Chandra on Sep 25, 2007 09:26 PM Permalink
There was a report that before the final he called up Dhoni and talked with him, Mate. It is not fair to expect these guys to do everything in public (TVs and Newspapers). Many players might just do it in their own quiet way. Dravid was never a media person, nor did he try to expose and sell himself as a brand despite being the best batting performer in the last decade for India. Maybe, sometimes it doesn't hurt if we give allowance that they may have done some good things, but were just not willing to put it in the media.
RE:At last Dravid woke up ???
by Vijayan on Sep 25, 2007 09:36 PM Permalink
How did u know about the phone call if it did not come in the media - did u tap the line??? Definitely Dravid called in front of the media or tactically leaked it to the media so you have come to know. Every celebrity is a media person - come to terms with the truths.
RE:At last Dravid woke up ???
by Sarath Chandra on Sep 25, 2007 09:39 PM Permalink
I did nnot say it did not come in the media, Mate. I said that there was a report (my first 4 words). I don't know the source. Maybe Dhoni told the journalist, I don't know. As for your last sentence, I personally don't think "every celebrity is a media person". I think many times they want privacy and do things in a quiet way. The media just don't allow them to do it.
RE:At last Dravid woke up ???
by Sanjeev Verma on Sep 25, 2007 09:56 PM Permalink
Dravid is an honest person. Do not forget that Dhoni was the deputy of Dravid in ODI matches. This means they were working together in ODI matches. He did not say that he wanted to play in Twenty20 like Ganguly. Ganguly even said that he missed playing in this World Cup. Probably he afraid that Gambhir (another left hander opener)might take his place in ODI also. Dravid is honest enough to understand that Twenty20 is meant for youngsters only.
RE:At last Dravid woke up ???
by Sarath Chandra on Sep 25, 2007 10:06 PM Permalink
Nice to see your comments, Sanjeev. However, I don't think Dravid withdrew from the twenty20 tournament just because he thought it is meant for youngsters. He would have appreciated the break from non-stop cricket and also he probably knew that to do well in the tournament all 3 of them cannot play in the same team. With Sachin and Ganguly undroppable due to a variety of factors, and with Dravid incumbent captain, the only choice was all or none. He took the latter option.
Besides, let's also not forget that twenty20 is now so important only because India won the tournament. Nobody would have cared about this had India lost in the first round. It would have been reduced to the status of an exhibition event. Probably another reason why Dravid opted out.
RE:At last Dravid woke up ???
by Sanjeev Verma on Sep 25, 2007 10:28 PM Permalink
Probably you are right! It was my guess since Dravid preferred younger players in ODI team. He often made comments that we needed athletic legs in ODI matches whenever media asked him about poor fielding in ODI matches. he did not take names for obvious reasons.
RE:At last Dravid woke up ???
by Sarath Chandra on Sep 25, 2007 10:45 PM Permalink
Dravid always preferred younger players. But I don't think he was for axing all seniors just because they are old. Only based on batting, fielding, and attitude. Though he didn't take names, it is safe to say that he didn't want Ganguly in the side (please no politics here), just because he wasn't a safe fielder. With regard to Tendulkar, I think, he was on the fence. However, with the arrival of Vengsarkar, dropping these seniors was no longer considered, and it is no surprise that he and Vengsarkar didn't get along well.
New Delhi: Indian batsmen are a "scared species", making them an easy prey for the Australian pace battery in the upcoming ODI series, feel former Australian bowlers Ray Bright and Rodney Hogg.
Former pacers Hogg and Bright, a left-arm spinner of the 70's, felt the Indians would not get much of a home advantage in the seven-match series starting September 29.
"Well I say, Good Luck. Which they (India) would need," Hogg was quoted as saying by Neo Sports.
"Unfortunately India tends to play Bangladesh a lot, so they tend to stretch up cricket," said Bright as he took potshot at the Indian line-up.
Hogg described the Indian batsmen as "arrogant" and said they were scared of facing pacers. "Couple of Indian batsmen are scared species, might be slightly arrogant and certainly there is no way to hide when people like Clark are going to go to India. With their pace there's nowhere to hide," he said.
Former Australian batsman Gary Cosier echoed a similar view and said Indians would buckle under pressure when faced with an accurate attack.
"Australia's bowlers and fieldsmen have impacts and they tend to put so much pressure on these very, very good players that the result is not very good at the end of the game," Cosier said.
Hogg criticised the decision to bring back Sourav Ganguly into the team and said the ex-captain has been brought back only because of "political" clout.
RE:ausiies jokers
by CricFan01 on Sep 25, 2007 10:04 PM Permalink
All of the players named above had not done anything significant in their playing days and are trying to hog the limelight and why are we paying so much importance to what they say? Except for one series against England, Hogg was a total failure, he could never bowl more than 5 overs in a spell. Gary Cosier performed well in just one or two series but was otherwise mediocre. As for Ray Bright, what are his credentials as a player? Nothing to write about. Let them say whatever they want, the best way for the team is to let the bat do all the talking.
The outcome would not have been possible if the senior players didnt excuse themselves from the tournament. Well done Dravid, Tendul, Ganguly - please note this is not a sarcastic comment - i really mean it.
RE:Hats off to seniors
by Sarath Chandra on Sep 25, 2007 08:45 PM Permalink
Yes, India may have been better team (than the current 20/20 winning team) with one or two of them. But all three of them in the team makes the fielding so weak that even good bowling is not rewarded. I am not saying all 3 are bad fielders. Sachin and Dravid are quite safe and decent, and they needn't be hidden in the field. However, they would need some livewires like Yuvraj, Raina, Uthappa etc to cover the gaps more effectively.
The problem is removing any one of them is provoking extreme reactions from their respective fans. Dravid can be dropped without provoking extreme reactions, but frankly, I think, he is the most convincing batsman (irrespective of recent performances) and fielder of the 3 at this stage.
RE:Hats off to seniors
by Sunil Yande on Sep 25, 2007 08:58 PM Permalink
I agree. If the three were available, at least two of them would have played in each game. Imagine pressure on Dhoni in ordering them around, and the pressure on the youngsters playing with them, and the pressure on the seniors of the baggage they carry, to perform each time. The Twenty20 team was free of all these pressures; and Dhoni could harness that advantage and ably guide the team to great levels. All three of them are going to be available for the One-day series with Australia, so also the added baggage of expectations on Dhoni. It would be interesting to see how this all plays out... If we have to build a team, I would keep the stalwarts out, let the young team handle it and get one of them in (most likely Tendulkar) only in case of dire circumstances. I would use the three stalwarts only in test matches, from here on.
RE:Hats off to seniors
by Sarath Chandra on Sep 25, 2007 09:15 PM Permalink
Well, Sunil. I am against the basic philosophy of juniors feeling pressure due to the presence of seniors, and that used a reason to remove them. This is an international sports team and people have to win and lose places based on performances and potential, not on age. I don't think it is justified to drop players despite them being the best performers. In my opinion, the juniors have to outperform the seniors to win their places.
Not liking somebody's presence in the team or feeling pressure for the same reason isn't a good thing especially in a team sport you have to work together irrespective of your differences. Shane Warne had differences with both Gilchrist and Steve Waugh. But they worked around that for the team, while still retaining their enmity. I think we also should learn to do that. Have differences, but team India first.
Dhoni's needs would count first, when selecting the team. If he wants a middle order mainstay, Dravid's the man, if he has opening problems, Tedulkar's the man. However, I think both will play for atleast the next months after which one of them will drop out, by retirement or axing based on performance. Ganguly might find it difficult to survive the home season in one-dayers.
RE:Hats off to seniors
by biswa pal on Sep 25, 2007 09:34 PM Permalink
dont get carried away.aussies are here.lets see who performs,the big three or the younger brigade.
RE:Hats off to seniors
by Baskar Guha on Sep 25, 2007 09:30 PM Permalink
It is a sarcastic remark despite your empty disclaimer. Instead of dividing Indian cricket like India divides its society - by age, by caste, by creed -- it would be better to just choose the best 11 for the job depending on the format of the game regardless of how many "seniors" and how many "juniors" it has.
RE:RE:RE:Hats off to seniors
by Tamil Indian on Sep 25, 2007 10:29 PM Permalink
See even with the disclaimer it is construed as sarcastic - if you have read any of my comments on rediff board they are anything but divisive... it is a recorded fact (many experts have said including the captain Dhoni) that the absence of superstars was one reason India did well. But the selectors would not have been able to do that unless the seniors opted themselves out that is what I meant.
Last night after the Indian victory, I was so relaxed. Till the last ball it was tension and excitement all the way. A pressure cooker type of situation. After the Indian victory there were crackers bursting all over rain affected and submerged Kolkata. I opened a bottle of Maa Kali brand country liquor. The was some chicken pakora as well. The combination went down inside so well and my agitaed nerves soothened. I dreamt some good dreams. 1. India world chamions in all games including football. 2.India bags higest medals in olympic and Asian games. 3.India the leading economy in the world. 4.Indian films like Lagan winning maximum oscars. 5.Saurav Ganguly President of the BCCI. I went to sleep. In the morning there was a hangover and a bit of headache. I went to sleep again and woke up to join here and see lots of messages pouring in. By the way, although Rahul has praised Dhoni, has anybody heard anythiong in praise of Dhoni from Suman Bhat? Tell me before I start boozing again and forget everything.
Koi kuchh bhi kahe Dravid.......me aap teenon k saath hi hoon............
maana ki ye YOUNG INDIAN TEAM ne lajawaab kaam kiya he aur des ka sar unchha kiya he.....'
maana ki ham aaj saare bharat k log inke liye proud feel kar rahe hain.......
maana ki dhoni & co. ne sach much bahot hi achha khel dikhaya......
par jo bhi ho........
aap teen chahhe team me rahe ya naa rahe .....aap teeno ki jarurat team ko hamesa rahegi... chahhe woh active participation ho ya passive........
chahhe aap team me rehkar team ko jitne me madad kare ya team se baahar rehkar team ki hosla badhaein..... aap teenon ki jarurat team ko he.......
kabhi inn media walon k criticism se tang aakar bura mat maanna ......pliz.........
the whole INDIA know what u three had done for the country and what u three can do...
umra k aage ek din sabko jhukna padta he ... to kya hua agar koi aap logon k bad time k liye aap logon ko bura bhala kaha to......... unka dil aur dimaag jaanta he aap teenon ne des k liye kya kiya he....
It's been such a pleasure to see you play over the years, but for you it would not have been possible for us to look to the future. You have been a tremendous person and may everything fall in place for you. i'm really happy for what you have done and shown the people that when youngsters are given a chance they deliver. It's time for you along with sachin ganguly and zaheer to take our spanking new team to new levels and groom them in such a way that they do us proud again and bring us the 2011 cup.. You guys have been outstanding! hats off to you!
RE:Well done, Dravid!
by Harinder Toor on Sep 25, 2007 08:21 PM Permalink
You my friend are a true indian cricket fan! i wish all our fellow indians show as much respect to our heroes. No one can forget everything these people have done for us. You are absolutely correct, the seniors will have to change their roles in team now to groom the youngsters and yes dhoni, his captaincy 'mantra' has been awesome. I wish him more success in the future. I am a punjabi and I dont care if yuvraj is the captain or not as long as team india performs.
RE:Well done, Dravid!
by Sarath Chandra on Sep 25, 2007 07:59 PM Permalink
Really nice to see such a positive message, Mate. Wish that we have more Indian media and fans be as positive as you, especially when the team loses a couple of games and is under a bit of pressure.
