*Official* - Final - India v Sri Lanka

[Jono]

Howe_zat makes good points, but the fact is that Yuvraj's wickets may not have been pretty, but they were damn effective. If you take Zaheer out, India don't win the World Cup. But if you take Yuvraj out, it's the same result too.

I mean Yuvraj got Haddin when he and Ponting at 1-100 were threatening to take the game away from India. He got Younis Khan's vital wicket vs. Pakistan, and of course Sanga and Samaraweera vs. SL.

That's not even including the knockout stages too.

It's a close call though. I think the fact Yuvraj's wickets were vital, plus his runs were match winning at various times, has to end up resulting in a Yuvu man of the tournament trophy.

 

[ankitj]

I seriously think Zaheer should have won man of the tournament. Yuvraj had a fantastic world cup but he was only one part of a successful batting unit.

Don't get why the relative skills of the others in the lineup should be a factor in judging a cricketer's performance. Same is being argued in comparing Mahela's knock with Dhoni's (Sure enough, Mahela's was a masterclass and that'd be a better reason to rate it higher than what the support cast did). By that logic, Kapil Dev a better bowler than all or some of the pace quartet of WIndies? Hell no.

 

[Spark]

He got another important wicket vs. us as well. Don't remember who, might be Clarke.

 

[Howe_zat]

Howe_zat makes good points, but the fact is that Yuvraj's wickets may not have been pretty, but they were damn effective. If you take Zaheer out, India don't win the World Cup. But if you take Yuvraj out, it's the same result too.

I mean Yuvraj got Haddin when he and Ponting at 1-100 were threatening to take the game away from India. He got Younis Khan's vital wicket vs. Pakistan, and of course Sanga and Samaraweera vs. SL.

That's not even including the knockout stages too.

It's a close call though. I think the fact Yuvraj's wickets were vital, plus his runs were match winning at various times, has to end up resulting in a Yuvu man of the tournament trophy.

Yeah, I take your point, Yuvraj did get wickets at crucial moments. I think he took batsmen underestimating him into his game, bowled with a lot of nous. Dhoni's captaincy counts for a lot of Yuvraj's success too, he played him just at the right times to make batsmen think they had to go after him.

I admit, I'm just a sucker for quality fast bowling.

 

[vcs]

Yuvraj's wickets in the knockout stages - Haddin, Clarke, Shafiq, Younis Khan, Sanga, Samaraweera. Some good players of spin in there, and some very threatening partnerships broken. I still have no ****ing clue how he did it.

 

[ankitj]

Yuvraj's wickets in the knockout stages - Haddin, Clarke, Shafiq, Younis Khan, Sanga, Samaraweera. Some good players of spin in there, and some very threatening partnerships broken. I still have no ****ing clue how he did it.

Shafiq's wicket was with a very good straighter one that rushed into him. There was one very good ball to get a stumping against WI. But other than that, no clue

 

[Howe_zat]

Don't get why the relative skills of the others in the lineup should be a factor in judging a cricketer's performance. Same is being argued in comparing Mahela's knock with Dhoni's (Sure enough, Mahela's was a masterclass and that'd be a better reason to rate it higher than what the support cast did). By that logic, Kapil Dev a better bowler than all or some of the pace quartet of WIndies? Hell no.

Afraid I'll have to disagree with you there. I've said before that playing to the same effect with far lesser support is a huge achievement.

 

[Spark]

Beneficiary of some really dreadful batting tbf. Clarke, Sanga, Sameraweera the worst culprits, but I suppose there are only ten good balls in an innings.

 

[Shri]

Clarke played the ugliest sweep shot that I have ever seen when he got out to Yuvraj.

 

[ankitj]

Apparently Tendulkar called up this guy, Sudhir Gautam, who has been going to all India matches to let him touch the trophy and click this photograph:

 

[Jono]

Sachin sponsors the guy man! How do you think the guy affords to go to all these Indian cricket matches?

Man Sachin WAFG.

What a moment for Sudhir as well.

 

[Sanz]

That's really awesome for a fan to be able to do that right after the game.

 

[ankitj]

Poonam Pandey suggests Paris for her 'strip show' - The Times of India

 

[Shri]

Such a tease. Calling lies Poonam!

 

[Sanz]

While the Indians celebrate, here is Derek Pringle presenting his views in Telegraph.

Cricket World Cup 2011: India's place in the final against Sri Lanka built on the hard work of coach Gary Kirsten - Telegraph

As all India rejoices over beating the old enemy to win a place in Saturday’s World Cup final against Sri Lanka, there does not appear to be much room in the national mood to acknowledge the two South Africans who are part of the success story: coach Gary Kirsten and his assistant, Eric Simons.

 

[Bun]

While the Indians celebrate, here is Derek Pringle presenting his views in Telegraph.

Cricket World Cup 2011: India's place in the final against Sri Lanka built on the hard work of coach Gary Kirsten - Telegraph

As all India rejoices over beating the old enemy to win a place in Saturday’s World Cup final against Sri Lanka, there does not appear to be much room in the national mood to acknowledge the two South Africans who are part of the success story: coach Gary Kirsten and his assistant, Eric Simons.

That statement is quite underresearched. Only if he'd seen that only two guys were paraded on shoulders round the stadium, one was Tendulkar, the other was Kirsten.

 

[Spark]

Was written before the final?

 

[Bun]

Was written before the final?

Is it? I just read the statement posted by Sanz, and nowhere it appears as if it was written before the finals.

Also, would love to add "premature" then to "underresearched" as well in that case

 

[Shri]

Did Sanga cheat at the toss?

Mahendra Dhoni steers India past Sri Lanka in Cricket World Cup final | Sport | The Observer

The writer makes a fair point, I wouldn't be so keen for a re-toss if I had called it right the first time. And I think it was a brilliant move if true. Cheeky bastard, love him.

 

[Shri]

India v Sri Lanka, final, World Cup 2011: Sachin Tendulkar won't stop - Gary Kirsten | Cricket News | ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 | ESPN Cricinfo

Phew. 50 ODI 100s still on the cards!