***Official*** Commonwealth Bank Tri-Series 2007-08

[pup11]

Actually, I'm quite impressed with Dhoni's PR skills. He appears to speak his mind and I think honesty with one's teammates is important.

If you want to survive as captain of an international cricket team especially the Indian cricket team then you have to learn to tackle the media in a diplomatic way, you can't just go around criticising your players publicly, you can do that sort of a thing within the dressing room.

 

[sideshowtim]

Our bowling in defending lower totals has been outstanding, however credit must also go to Ponting who has handled the bowling changes and fielding placements superbly. Great captain.

 

[SJS]

I just don't see why he needs to be so sheltered. He's not in a protected environment anymore.

Either way he knows his players better than the rest of us do. He wouldn't be saying these things unless he felt it would have the desired effect. Maybe that's why he didn't go all out on Yuvraj and gave Rohit a serve.

I hope you are correct but from over twenty years of heading reasonably large companies, I have a bit of an idea about how sensitive people are to public admonition. It rarely helps to do it in front of complete strangers. To do it on a public address system with tens of thousands listening on the ground itself, it is hardly likely to help Rohit.

 

[masterblaster]

Dhoni is a breath of fresh air, as far as Indian cricketers go. Love how he plays the game, love his passion and his new found maturity. Hope his injury isn't bad. We need him big time. If anyone can teach the young guys discipline it's him.

Yeah, absolutely. I'm a fan of his and always have been.

 

[SJS]

Our bowling in defending lower totals has been outstanding, however credit must also go to Ponting who has handled the bowling changes and fielding placements superbly. Great captain.

He has placed some fielders in exact positions in this tournament and Indian batsmen have played along by hitting almost the next delivery band into their midriffs. Today it was Gambhir's turn to hit straight to shortish square point kept exactly for that and for him only.

 

[masterblaster]

I hope you are correct but from over twenty years of heading reasonably large companies, I have a bit of an idea about how sensitive people are to public admonition. It rarely helps to do it in front of complete strangers. To do it on a public address system with tens of thousands listening on the ground itself, it is hardly likely to help Rohit.

Yeah, I sort of cringed a bit when he said that. Rohit's got all the potential in the world at just 20 so maybe he should've been a little more diplomatic. But it's only one PR slip up from Dhoni, in what's otherwise been a fine start to his captaincy.

 

[masterblaster]

I'm thinking for the match against Sri Lanka, Uthappa misses out and Sehwag comes back in if he's fit. Rest of the team should remain unchanged, they had a fine outing in the field. Hopefully Dhoni will have recovered from his cramp and Karthik won't be needed.

 

[SJS]

Yeah, absolutely. I'm a fan of his and always have been.

Oh dont get me wrong. I am a BIG BIG admirer. Thats why it came as such a big shock what he said today. I thought it was so out of character. He is the kind of guy who would have told Joginder Sharma not to bother even if he had been slaughtered in that last over at the T20 WC.

He has shown that he backs his players all the way. I dont remember another occasion when he named them specifically when pointing out the team's negatives.

 

[howardj]

India's batting is diabolical. The question I ask is- would Dravid, Ganguly and Laxman do any worse? I mean, the current guys are not even getting out playing huge boundary shots. They're just getting out knicking and LBW etc. They don't stand a chance unless they fortify their batting.

 

[masterblaster]

Oh dont get me wrong. I am a BIG BIG admirer. Thats why it came as such a big shock what he said today. I thought it was so out of character. He is the kind of guy who would have told Joginder Sharma not to bother even if he had been slaughtered in that last over at the T20 WC.

He has shown that he backs his players all the way. I dont remember another occasion when he named them specifically when pointing out the team's negatives.

Good point, although you could see he was pretty emotionally charged up and extremely angry as he left the ground after his dismissal. Perhaps a comment said in anger and later regretted during hindsight?

 

[Nate]

I saw Burgey talk about his speed for a bit, and I'm sorry to be the one to bring this up, but how immense was Bracken? He absolutely owned one of the best batsmen ever, that third (?) over he bowled was incredible. Set up the match for Australia and from what I've read, Johnson, Hopes and co capitalised really well. Superb bowling effort from Australia, can't believe we won it.

 

[duffer]

Bracks bowling well is hardly ground breaking stuff though. He is our Mr Consistency in ODI's. Bona-fide world class.

 

[Jnr.]

If you want to survive as captain of an international cricket team especially the Indian cricket team then you have to learn to tackle the media in a diplomatic way, you can't just go around criticising your players publicly, you can do that sort of a thing within the dressing room.

Sorry, I don't agree. I think the best captains are the plain-speaking ones, not the diplomatic ones, who are tiresome. If one praises a player in the media, then criticises the same player in the dressing room, would that not send conflicting messages to the player? I actually think that players respect captains who are always 100% honest. From the outside, Dhoni appears the honest sort. I think he's doing an excellent job on and off the field.

 

[SJS]

India's batting is diabolical. The question I ask is- would Dravid, Ganguly and Laxman do any worse? I mean, the current guys are not even getting out playing huge boundary shots. They're just getting out knicking and LBW etc. They don't stand a chance unless they fortify their batting.

In India there is a huge misconception that the fifty over game is nothing but a scaled up version of the T20 blast. Any player who did well at the T20 WC is automatically expected to be a Champion at T20.

It used to be the same with odi's versus test matches. A majority refuse to accept that you need to bat differently in the test matches and there was a reason why Yuvraj was, at one time, almost a fixture in odi's but did not find a place in test matches. In fact there is a tendency to discount the talents of those who are really good test players. majority Indians will never accept that Laxman is a better batsman in test matches than Yuvraj.

This is the difference. Go to England and talk to fans and a very large number will accept that the tests are the real test of caliber and the T20 the least. In India its exactly the other way around.

The electronic media who have taken it upon themselves to 'educate' the people on the game are the front runners in propagating this theory.

 

[duffer]

Sorry, I don't agree. I think the best captains are the plain-speaking ones, not the diplomatic ones, who are tiresome. If one praises a player in the media, then criticises the same player in the dressing room, would that not send conflicting messages to the player? I actually think that players respect captains who are always 100% honest. From the outside, Dhoni appears the honest sort. I think he's doing an excellent job on and off the field.

Maybe it's just me but I love the straight-shooting types of people as well. I'm well aware of the need for diplomacy, but I like when people aren't afraid to put it down.

 

[SJS]

Sorry, I don't agree. I think the best captains are the plain-speaking ones, not the diplomatic ones, who are tiresome. If one praises a player in the media, then criticises the same player in the dressing room, would that not send conflicting messages to the player? I actually think that players respect captains who are always 100% honest. From the outside, Dhoni appears the honest sort. I think he's doing an excellent job on and off the field.

Who said anything about praisng the player in the media.

If Dhoni had just said our bowlers did a great job but our batsmen threw it away with irresponsible batting it was enough. Then if he went to the dressing room and talked to individual players of what he thought they had done wrong, how would it be a 'conflicting message' ?

 

[howardj]

In India there is a huge misconception that the fifty over game is nothing but a scaled up version of the T20 blast. Any player who did well at the T20 WC is automatically expected to be a Champion at T20.

It used to be the same with odi's versus test matches. A majority refuse to accept that you need to bat differently in the test matches and there was a reason why Yuvraj was, at one time, almost a fixture in odi's but did not find a place in test matches. In fact there is a tendency to discount the talents of those who are really good test players. majority Indians will never accept that Laxman is a better batsman in test matches than Yuvraj.

This is the difference. Go to England and talk to fans and a very large number will accept that the tests are the real test of caliber and the T20 the least. In India its exactly the other way around.

The electronic media who have taken it upon themselves to 'educate' the people on the game are the front runners in propagating this theory.

That's a shame.

I mean they have billions of people at their disposal, you'd think they'd at least be able to come up with some guys who could go out there and prevent a score of 2/30 after 10 overs! If I see that score once more against Australia this summer (either from India or SL) I will scream! I mean, we are good, but this is international cricket mate.

 

[Raghav]

In India there is a huge misconception that the fifty over game is nothing but a scaled up version of the T20 blast. Any player who did well at the T20 WC is automatically expected to be a Champion at T20.

It used to be the same with odi's versus test matches. A majority refuse to accept that you need to bat differently in the test matches and there was a reason why Yuvraj was, at one time, almost a fixture in odi's but did not find a place in test matches. In fact there is a tendency to discount the talents of those who are really good test players. majority Indians will never accept that Laxman is a better batsman in test matches than Yuvraj.

This is the difference. Go to England and talk to fans and a very large number will accept that the tests are the real test of caliber and the T20 the least. In India its exactly the other way around.

The electronic media who have taken it upon themselves to 'educate' the people on the game are the front runners in propagating this theory.

I do not think many people in India are in such a position

 

[SJS]

Maybe it's just me but I love the straight-shooting types of people as well. I'm well aware of the need for diplomacy, but I like when people aren't afraid to put it down.

I too love staright shooting types. Thats why some of my favourite commentators are that type but there is an added burden that leadership imposes.

Become a leader and you will learn ... I hope.

 

[howardj]

Praise in public, pillory in private.