**Official Comm Bank Series - Aus, Ind & SL ODI's***

[Spikey]

i thought ms was doing decent enough until the last doherty over where everything sorta went off the rails

 

[Jono]

Now the headline on cricinfo stands as "Ice-cool Dhoni downs Australia". What a man.

He was ice-cool tbf. Never looked worried, even when he was ****ing it up.

 

[CricAddict]

Nah, it's backing your ability.

You mention 13 needed off the last over, but remember it was also at 13 needed off 9 before Jadeja holed out. And even then, 13 off 6 is hardly impossible.

He knew what he needed to win. He had confidence in himself to do it without risks. Yeah it got tight, but he kept it close the whole way and got India home.

Did he also have confidence in Ashwin not getting out in the 2nd ball of the last over instead of getting a single and giving strike to him? The 13 off 9 too became 13 off 6 due to Dhoni not getting runs in the last 2 balls.

 

[Shri]

Can't believe his ODI average has gone up recently. Used to be in the 49.50-50.00 range and now its close to 51.

 

[Jono]

Nah Dhoni did it well.

He knew he had to be the man. He took the minimum amount of risks (that run out aside) to ensure he was there at the end. When you have wickets in hand, you can score pretty much anything in the last few overs. He knew that and preserved his wicket, and did what he needed to do.

It's like in footy when you take a mark 40 out on an angle and turn around and walk back without looking for options. You back yourself to kick it, and you know you have to convert because you've possibly burnt Jason Dunstall who was charging out from the goal square, leading with his chest etc etc

 

[Spark]

Can't believe his ODI average has gone up recently. Used to be in the 49.50-50.00 range and now its close to 51.

Apparently Melbourne was the first time he'd gotten out in about eight innings, that generally helps.

 

[Ruckus]

Yeah him getting out early trying to go for his shots is clearly better than getting us as close to the target as possible before hitting out.

See TH's post.

He was ice-cool tbf. Never looked worried, even when he was ****ing it up.

Yeah no doubt, but it's the connotation of it that annoys me. Like he saved the match or something, when it was there for the taking in the first place before he even came in.

 

[KiWiNiNjA]

ffs exactly. How can people not see the difference between that and 12 off 4 ffs

How can you not see that before it was 12 off 4 it was 13 off 9.

Yeah, it got a little dicey when Jadeja holed out. 13 off 8
Played out 2 balls from Doherty. 13 off 6
Ashwin. dot then single. 12 off 4

So yeah you can say he shouldn't have let it get that close.
But if Jadeja doesn't hole out it's a different story.

Yeah, he could have scored a bit faster, but he didn't. Maybe he just didn't feel it. I'm sure he didn't go out there thinking "I don't think I'll play my normal ODI innings today, I think I'll struggle a bit, maybe not time the ball as well as I can, maybe I'll hit fielders instead of gaps". He knew what India needed to get, and he did just enough to get them there.

cbf arguing with you muppets

Not his best innings, but he got them home ffs.

 

[Prince EWS]

The "they won which automatically means the entire innings was paced perfectly" is a bit like saying that, if a bowler had 32 to play with in the last over and bowled five full tosses that all sailed over the ropes for six and then the perfect yorker, he bowled the perfect over in the situation. Which is rubbish.

There are other ways of defending the pacing of the innings, as benchy's post did. I don't agree with benchy there but it's a valid defence of the innings that I don't have a problem with saying "agree to disagree" to. Shri are a few others are just posting crap that's analogous to the example above though.

 

[Cevno]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

So what you are saying is that he backs himself to make 13 runs of the last over, where if he fails India lose the match?( nobody is disputing his credentials in those situations being better than others.)

But at the same time doesn't back himself to make 13 runs of the 45th,46th,47th or 48th over(or before that) where even if he fails there are 5 batsman to come who still have a chance?

 

[Shri]

The "they won which automatically means the entire innings was paced perfectly" is a bit like saying that, if a bowler had 32 to play with in the last over and bowled five full tosses that all sailed over the ropes for six and then the perfect yorker, he bowled the perfect over in the situation. Which is rubbish.

There are other ways of defending the pacing of the innings, as benchy's post did. I don't agree with benchy there but it's a valid defence of the innings that I don't have a problem with saying "agree to disagree" to. Shri are a few others are just posting crap that's analogous to the example above though.

Gtfo ****.

How is my post different from Benchy's?

 

[benchmark00]

How can you not see that before it was 12 off 4 it was 13 off 9.
.

Exactly!!!!!

 

[Shri]

So what you are saying is that he backs himself to make 13 runs of the last over, where if he fails India lose the match?( nobody is disputing his credentials in those situations being better than others.)

But at the same time doesn't back himself to make 13 runs of the 45th,46th,47th or 48th over(or before that) where even if he fails there are 5 batsman to come who still have a chance?

Last batsman in the batting order who has the shots to clear the ropes in an Australian ground. He had to be there if we had any hope of clearing the ropes in the end.

 

[Burgey]

He was ice-cool tbf. Never looked worried, even when he was ****ing it up.

That's a gift in any profession tbf.

 

[Cevno]

Last batsman in the batting order who has the shots to clear the ropes in an Australian ground. He had to be there if we had any hope of clearing the ropes in the end.

We didn't need anyone to clear the ropes at the end (except some boundaries maybe which Raina was hitting) if he had taken more singles at the start though. And thus didn't allow the run rate to rise..

 

[uvelocity]

wish he edged mckay early doors

 

[Spark]

tried his best to.

clarke really should have run him out though.

edit: which is another point. when the RR balooned he had to start contemplating suicide singles that even he couldn't have made. wouldn't have done it if it was still 6-7rpo required.

 

[Crazy Sam]

Forget about Dhoni, McKay's last over was one of the worst I've seen at the death since Kasprowicz against NZ at Docklands about 8 years ago.

The fielding was awful from the Aussies tonight.

 

[uvelocity]

and we didn't get enough runs

and clarke did his hammy

capital D-ire

 

[KiWiNiNjA]

The "they won which automatically means the entire innings was paced perfectly" is a bit like saying that, if a bowler had 32 to play with in the last over and bowled five full tosses that all sailed over the ropes for six and then the perfect yorker, he bowled the perfect over in the situation. Which is rubbish.

Your scenario is rubbish. But what does that have to do with it?


The whole idea of pacing is about risk-reward. If he goes harder at the total, he risks more. Dhoni obviously weighed up the risks, and backed himself to get to the target without needing to take any. Of course, he would be constantly doing this. He kept it close, so he obviously kept on thinking to himself "I don't need to take risks yet, this is under control".

"They won which automatically means the entire innings was paced perfectly"

This is bull**** quite frankly. Just the fact that they won does not mean the entire innings was paced perfectly. A player not taking risks, backing his ability, and getting his side home shows that the innings was paced perfectly.

That doesn't mean it was a great innings. But it does show that Dhoni knew what needed to be done, and did it.