And finally, giving in to blogging on IPL related matter...
Dhoni in a recent interview, on Lalu's remarks about his hairstyle, endorsements and cricket, ...
"It is important that I have got the attention of the man. I don't have anything to give him back. He is a great guy."
Howzzat?!
As the curtains came down on a good tour for his Super Kings*, GREram and I did a fairly detailed analysis of the IPL and Dhoni, in particular. Both of us distinctly observed that he seems to have the knack of getting his dark horses to perform under crunch situations. His logic behind opting for a Piyush Chawla and entrusting the final over to a Joginder Sharma or a Praveen Kumar during big matches against the Pakis and Aussies is remarkable. It is as simple and skewed as the pressure being on a Hussey to smash a Joginder out of the park for the amateur he is and his credentials' claim to the stakes! And boy, haven't his trump cards fetched him the the jackpots?! Any surprise as to how his so-called "strange" team selections, field placements and bowling changes have played on the minds of his counterparts. Interestingly, despite all the praise people are for this cool head, he actually admits to being tense during those moments but doesn't show that on the field, lest his boys' spirits flag. Got us thinking about the qualities that set apart a good captain from the pyrotechnocrat^ he is.
Most noteworthy and commendable aspect - Sportsmanship. That the Chennai Super Kings walked away with fair-play honours and a graceful huddle in defeat, testify aptly. There surely is something in this cricketer and captain's ability to deliver the goods, beyond Dada's luck, Sachin's trepidation or the fatigued Dravid's astuteness.
To the hopeless romantic (pun intended), having had a joyride on the shoulders of Kumara Sangakkara and Shaun Marsh, and who is ever so hopeful of captaining the Indian cricket team after Dhoni one fine day- dream on, buddy!
---------------
* What a lousy name! Probably has its roots in the trademark of a 43-grade India Cements cement.
^ Ne'er heard such a word. Prosaic license, fair-play policy. Swalpa adjeshtu maadi (read kindly adjust)!
"It is important that I have got the attention of the man. I don't have anything to give him back. He is a great guy."
Howzzat?!
As the curtains came down on a good tour for his Super Kings*, GREram and I did a fairly detailed analysis of the IPL and Dhoni, in particular. Both of us distinctly observed that he seems to have the knack of getting his dark horses to perform under crunch situations. His logic behind opting for a Piyush Chawla and entrusting the final over to a Joginder Sharma or a Praveen Kumar during big matches against the Pakis and Aussies is remarkable. It is as simple and skewed as the pressure being on a Hussey to smash a Joginder out of the park for the amateur he is and his credentials' claim to the stakes! And boy, haven't his trump cards fetched him the the jackpots?! Any surprise as to how his so-called "strange" team selections, field placements and bowling changes have played on the minds of his counterparts. Interestingly, despite all the praise people are for this cool head, he actually admits to being tense during those moments but doesn't show that on the field, lest his boys' spirits flag. Got us thinking about the qualities that set apart a good captain from the pyrotechnocrat^ he is.
Most noteworthy and commendable aspect - Sportsmanship. That the Chennai Super Kings walked away with fair-play honours and a graceful huddle in defeat, testify aptly. There surely is something in this cricketer and captain's ability to deliver the goods, beyond Dada's luck, Sachin's trepidation or the fatigued Dravid's astuteness.
To the hopeless romantic (pun intended), having had a joyride on the shoulders of Kumara Sangakkara and Shaun Marsh, and who is ever so hopeful of captaining the Indian cricket team after Dhoni one fine day- dream on, buddy!
---------------
* What a lousy name! Probably has its roots in the trademark of a 43-grade India Cements cement.
^ Ne'er heard such a word. Prosaic license, fair-play policy. Swalpa adjeshtu maadi (read kindly adjust)!
4 comments:
Hey Vikhram, hows u? i read a couple of your blog pieces. I liked your font.first. and ya,your writing reminds me of amitav ghosh, caustic,restrained and right there on the face :) nice work. i too carry a blog, wouldnt it be nice if we could keep in touch with our work?:) http://freshinkblots.blogspot.com it is!
Thank you for your very constructive comments, SP! Feels good, I'm totally flattered, when a writer of your calibre compares me with a novelist. But let me remind you, there's probably not much of a common ground for comparison b/w a published writer and a reckless blogger.. :)
No doubt that the Dhoni keeps his cool etc blah blah.. I just think he got lucky with Joginder the first time around (pun not intended!!). Some of his decisions have been marginally stupid- eg. sending Kapugedera !! before Badri.. and some in this final against Pakistan. No doubt he's a good captain though.
PS: The name is really sad... one of the reasons that got me thinking twice about supporting the team.
Hi dude,
how are you? This one was nice, esp the last sentence.
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