best captain of the final match

[SJS]

Shoaib was also pretty good but I think Dhoni made some brilliant, on the spot tactical moves while Shoaibs good moves were in the overall strategy which would surely have the coach's inputs from pre-match briefings.

On the field for example, Shoaib kept his fielders spread far and wide, very content to allow singles to the Indians. For once the poor-runners-between-wickets that the Indians are were strolling through and once even got two where the first was just about it.

He was the more defensive of the two by far. Whish wasstrange because whatever ny Indian countrymen may claim, Shoaib was commanding the better attack. Dhoni's employing two slips in the second half of Pakistan innings was stunning. Its okay for Gavaskar to praise it as the 'right' move but he himself wouldnt have had even one. Nor Dravid or Ganguly.

Then the batting order of Pakistan was not always ideal. India were better in this too. I think by not allowing Afridi to come earlier in the initial games itself, Pakistan did not let him get a momentum. I thin Pakistan sorely missed Afrid's contribution with the bat and its just possible that his batting order may have had something to do with it.

 

[Perm]

Thats absolutely incorrect.

Harbhajan refused to bowl and told Dhoni he wasn't feeling confident and not getting his yorker length right and asked him to let someone else bowl. Dhoni said it live for millions to hearafter the match when asked why he chose Joginder over Harbhajan.

Can't say I watched the after-match, but at the time Harbhajan looked pretty confident, and he usually takes up the challenge. I suppose that Dhoni could be excused for asking Joginder Sharma to bowl the last over, he's just very fortunate that the result went India's way.

 

[SJS]

Can't say I watched the after-match, but at the time Harbhajan looked pretty confident, and he usually takes up the challenge. I suppose that Dhoni could be excused for asking Joginder Sharma to bowl the last over, he's just very fortunate that the result went India's way.

You dont have to excuse him, he had no choice unless, pf course, he bowled the elder Pathan

 

[Perm]

You dont have to excuse him, he had no choice unless, pf course, he bowled the elder Pathan

Harbhajan, Joginder or Yusuf. He had a choice of those three, really. Harbhajan refused to bowl, if what you are saying is correct (which I have no reason to beleive it's not) so really it was a toss-up between Joginer and Yusuf. I think he could've been better off by giving Yusuf Pathan another over or two during the middle period, because his first over was decent, and this way he might've had more options up his sleeve for the final over.

 

[SJS]

Harbhajan, Joginder or Yusuf. He had a choice of those three, really. Harbhajan refused to bowl, if what you are saying is correct (which I have no reason to beleive it's not) so really it was a toss-up between Joginer and Yusuf. I think he could've been better off by giving Yusuf Pathan another over or two during the middle period, because his first over was decent, and this way he might've had more options up his sleeve for the final over.

I agree Yousuf was a choice.

I think because he had not bowled after that first over, the fact thatit was his debut match and all the pressure musthaveweighed heavily with Dhoni. Against that he had Joginder who had bowled in a similar situation againstAustralia and even if we dont think much of him (I dont) the factthat he had done it befgore and come through would have, presumably, put him is a stronger frame of mind than Yousuf.

Just imagine if Yousuf had been bowled and he had been hamered. We aould have found it the lousiest possible decision from Dh\ni for all possible reasons.

No. I think once Harbhajan refused he made the least risky choice which is the best one can hope to do. After that you have to hope it works.

 

[haroon510]

i voted for malik cuz dohni was lucky.... the fact that he chose jogindar for final over proves that... if misbah would have gotten that ball right... pakistan would have win the match....

 

[PakPowered]

Dhoni only and only coz India won the tournament.

Dhoni was better in field placement, however his bowling changes were very unimpressive.Though i think Dhoni showed better nerves than Malik, though both appears to be calm individuals.

 

[PakPowered]

i voted for malik cuz dohni was lucky.... the fact that he chose jogindar for final over proves that... if misbah would have gotten that ball right... pakistan would have win the match....

You make your own luck!! yeah it was completely wrong to have Joginder bowl the last over, just like it was wrong to send Akmal one down.I can say both captains made several mistakes, though both captains appears to be very good.

I rated Dhoni higer coz India won and the final over by Joginder didn't let India down, had Mishba pulled off a Pak win off that over, then it would have been another thing.

Also i think Pakistan were deserving losers, Indian batsmen were resticted to a total by a very very good bowling attack, however most of the Pakistani batsmen gifted the wickets by extremely poor shot selection.

 

[biased indian]

i voted for malik cuz dohni was lucky.... the fact that he chose jogindar for final over proves that... if misbah would have gotten that ball right... pakistan would have win the match....

this guy is sick !!!!!!!!!!

 

[PakPowered]

this guy is sick !!!!!!!!!!

Look, when one cannot give credit to other team, then you will always hear things like "lucky team...a fluke win..blah blah.. A lot of Indian and Pakistani supporters are a disgrace. If you go to rediff website and read some of the comments, then you will be embaressed.

 

[SJS]

A lot of Indian and Pakistani supporters are a disgrace.

Very difficult to disagree with that. Its just a difference of agreeing upon what makes a supporter a disgrace

 

[funnygirl]

I saw some here say Dhoni is lucky . yes he is .

Luck always favours the brave.

 

[Sanz]

i voted for malik cuz dohni was lucky.... the fact that he chose jogindar for final over proves that... if misbah would have gotten that ball right... pakistan would have win the match....

Haroon, So who, in your opinion, should have been bowling the final over ?

 

[R_D]

Haroon, So who, in your opinion, should have been bowling the final over ?

someone that would've made it easier for Pakistan to win

 

[haroon510]

R_D exactly well said lol

but to answer his question... dhoni should have used seasernth in the middle overs after malik and afridi was out... keep pathan's one over for the end... he could have easly used the older pathan for at least one over during this pressure time of pakistan... face it pakistan not only lost malik but afridi also in the same over... older pahtan could have bowle the next over..and next seasernth...

well pakistan didn't play good... the total score of 157 on that pitch was nothing... india was lucky to get nazir out..

 

[bond21]

all i have to say is - If Misbah Ul Haq didnt replace his head with a pumpkin, Pakistan wouldve won quite easily.

I mean hes got their slowest bowler bowling, why can't he back himself and smash the ball going for a boundary and if you mistime it, at least you know you tried. Instead he made a stupid decision a very low percentage shot and he will be thinking about how he couldve played that ball for weeks to come.

 

[Sanz]

all i have to say is - If Misbah Ul Haq didnt replace his head with a pumpkin, Pakistan wouldve won quite easily.

I mean hes got their slowest bowler bowling, why can't he back himself and smash the ball going for a boundary and if you mistime it, at least you know you tried. Instead he made a stupid decision a very low percentage shot and he will be thinking about how he couldve played that ball for weeks to come.

Thank Misbah for bringing Pak back into the game. If not for his knock, Pakistan could have lost comfortably.

 

[Fusion]

someone that would've made it easier for Pakistan to win

Thank Misbah for bringing Pak back into the game. If not for his knock, Pakistan could have lost comfortably.

AWTA

 

[Perm]

Thank Misbah for bringing Pak back into the game. If not for his knock, Pakistan could have lost comfortably.

Indeed, full credit to him for that knock, otherwise Pakistan wouldn't have stood a chance. Still, he played a dumb shot after batting sensibly and strongly, which was disappointing.

 

[SJS]

all i have to say is - If Misbah Ul Haq didnt replace his head with a pumpkin, Pakistan wouldve won quite easily.

Without Misbah's knock we would not even have been discussing how the match sould have gone either way.

India would have won VERY comfortably. He was by far the best Pakistani batsman on that day. Pakistani fans to look at their 'stars' if they insist on blaming their team for losing not the gallant Misbah-ul-Haq