agree with this part.
I haven't read through the last few pages of this thread; I was talking more about the media. Anyway - I don't think it was that bad a decision. There's nothing to suggest Harbhajan wouldn't have conceded those runs. Like Dhoni himself said, Nehra has done well in these situations (India-Sri Lanka first ODI, Rajkot 2009, for example).Around 5-8 people in this thread called "wtf?" when Nehra was given the ball, well before he even bowled the first ball.
How about Munaf and Zaheer telling him what to do before he even bowled it? The lack of faith in him was
I have never seen Nehra doing well in such situations.
Everyone blames the batting, I think thats quite clear. It's just that such a simple decision, which doesn't involve anything other than half a brain, was made wrongly. That could have been totally avoided without any form of cricketing skill required.I can recollect several instances in the last year alone where teams with tailenders have finished chases when they needed 20 runs off 2 overs (or similar). Honestly, it's just a couple of swings away. It can go your way, or it might not. Obviously, it would be nice if your main bowler didn't bowl ****ing length balls in the 50th over, but you take the rough with the smooth. We won from similar circumstances against Pakistan in the Asia Cup and Shoaib ****ing Akhtar was bowling the last over to Bhajji. Even Bangladesh scored 58 with their 9th wicket partnership yesterday. Bhajji and Zaheer did it in SA recently, though the RR was comfortable on that occasion. SL had an epic 9th wicket partnership between Malinga and Mathews when they beat Australia.
I honestly cannot recall another instance where such a magnificent batting display upto 40 overs has been so utterly ruined in the last 10.
And five years later statistics-warriors will find two more examples of Sachin not making India win to back the player du jour to be better than SRT
When a guy hasn't bowled a single decent spell in the last couple of games, you don't hand over the fate of a game to him.
Haha, yes. That's why use of statsguru is so overrated.
I've had this argument many times on other forums, can't be arsed here to be honest; no offence. I'll just say two things :
a) The fact that India is playing at home. The fact that India is higher ranked. The fact that India's recent record at home has been good. 2 games in the WC, and you're overreacting about their chances. And the fact that your statement regarding India not winning against a non-minnow side also applies to WI. So when the poll comes out and anyone who votes for India in the poll, why don't you go jump on their backs too? At the end of the day, it's my opinion, it's my prediction.
It does but they have won more comfortably against them compared to what we have done.
He let a newbie in Joginder Sharma bowl the final over of the World T20 and India won - funnily enough, the alternative at that time was the same Harbhajan Singh. The media and everyone else lauded him for thinking out-of-the-box. At least in this case he gave it to a bowler who wasn't a stranger to such situations. And to be fair to him, he bowled one rank ordinary length ball that was hit for six. The first ball was fine, he was unlucky. See, these things happen. I think we are overreacting.
It does but they have won more comfortably against them compared to what we have done.
And you made a prediction in this thread, So did I. Guess what my Prediction was right, yours was WRONG.
I do agree that had Nehra pulled it off we would be lauding it but we cannot deny it was a strange decsion.
I know I didn't applaud that decision. Joginder bowled bull**** in that last over and got lucky. I said it before, I speak for myself, not fans who laud decisions made on hunches when they go right and criticize them when they go wrong. (Think I made this point in that Nehra thread, should be merged actually)
In the T20 case, I was happy we got lucky.
