Official Indian Fans Hugbox Thread

[ankitj]

Will Shastri and Kohli stop mucking around and play Jadhav, Pant, Pandya and Karthik from #4 to #7? That's the best we can put up with the squad we have. But they have to stop sucking up to Dhoni to do that.

 

[vcs]

Drop Dhoni? That's just not going to happen.. the best we can probably hope for is for Karthik or Pant to come in ahead of Shankar and Dhoni pushed down the order. It's just reshuffling though - don't think any of those options are particularly better than the others.

Jadhav at 4 makes sense though, let's treat him like a proper batsman and give him that role for a couple of games.

 

[vcs]

https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/...eals-ms-dhoni-advice-world-cup-hat-trick-ball

"The hat-trick feels very special, that too getting it in a World Cup is a big deal. Before I bowled the last ball, I had MS Dhoni's advice in my mind. He told me, 'World Cup hat-tricks are rare, just bowl a yorker. This is your chance.' That's what I did."

No ****, Sherlock.

 

[ankitj]

They all probably take turns to orally please Dhoni every morning.

I am starting to get sick of all the Dhoni praise from the current players.

 

[OverratedSanity]

Shankar-Jadhav-Dhoni is a horrific trio in the middle order. Rahul's completely unconvincing too. Does anyone think he's capable of playing a good innings against a high quality attack in the knockouts? I certainly don't.

We should've integrated Pant into the team a year ago either as an aggressive number 4 or a Raina 2.0 at number 6. It's too late now. If he's brought in now, he'll fail just as badly as any of the others because he hasn't figured out odis at all yet.

 

[ankitj]

Jadhav is decent. I still believe in him.

Yeah, lack of experience for Pant is a worry. They had 2 years to sort this out but idiots were happy to play Rayudu and Dhoni at 4 and 5. I'll still go with Pant. At #5 he will not be required to score 100 or even 80. A 40-50 at good pace is something he may still be able to deliver.

 

[OverratedSanity]

I am starting to get sick of all the Dhoni praise from the current players.

It's pretty pathetic yeah. Most of the fans seem blinded by it too. Dhoni gives a bowler some basic tips and everyone goes "Ye dekho Dhoni still captain in pressure situation. So calm."

Yeah, OK shut the **** up we get it.

 

[harsh.ag]

I have nothing new to add. India brought this upon themselves. They have made it Rohit or bust, essentially. And for a team with Virat in it, that's a feat of extraordinary proportions.

 

[aussie tragic]

Given the thread name, Kohli could do with a hug right now

Kohli fined for excessive appealing against AFG

 

[Burgey]

You blokes all watch a lot more of India’s ODI stuff than I do, but whilst I know shining isn’t the same player he was a few years ago, he still smashed our blokes around. Do you fellas genuinely reckon he should be dropped?

 

[harsh.ag]

You blokes all watch a lot more of India’s ODI stuff than I do, but whilst I know shining isn’t the same player he was a few years ago, he still smashed our blokes around. Do you fellas genuinely reckon he should be dropped?

Assuming this is Dhoni, then, no, not now. He should have been dropped a while back and Pant groomed. Right now, I don't trust Pant's keeping that much. Dhoni's is much better. Pant is a better batsman, but he would have been much more reliable (hypothesizing) had he been given a couple of years of international LO experience.

 

[vcs]

I just cannot understand how he has become so poor at rotating the strike vs. spinners. Surely, this is one skill that would't be affected much if your reflexes are slower and your eye isn't what it used to be? He used to be great at it in his prime. Also, his reflexes while keeping to spin are still excellent.

 

[OverratedSanity]

I just cannot understand how he has become so poor at rotating the strike vs. spinners. Surely, this is one skill that would't be affected much if your reflexes are slower and your eye isn't what it used to be? He used to be great at it in his prime. Also, his reflexes while keeping to spin are still excellent.

Yeah, his complete lack of hitting ability wouldn't be a huge problem if he could just work the ball into gaps and get off strike. Him hogging the strike for 4 full overs and only scoring 3 off them contributed to Kohli's wicket against Afghanistan. It'd be less bad if he would just score 5(6) and bugger off instead.

 

[ankitj]

At one stage there a total of 2 in-fielders on the off side placed by Afghanistan. But somehow Dhoni just kept picking the fielder on cover over and over and over while batting to spinners. It's inexplicable.

 

[harsh.ag]

India would be better off with Mushfiqur Rahim in place of Dhoni.

Today in Sentences that would have sounded crazy a while ago but are true now

 

[srbhkshk]

At this point I just don't know where you can possibly hide Dhoni in the batting order - #4 like some "experts" might claim is an absolutely terrible option, a #4 is supposed to give the innings impetus not drain it of that, And he clearly can't do the quickfire innings that are needed below that spot. Unless Rohit and Virat decide to go god mode and India just finishes every innings 340/3 the world cup is a goner.

 

[Daemon]

Dhoni can only play two types of useful knocks these days, either the slow-steady fifty in a middling chase/middle of a collapse or the cameo at the end of the innings.

That's why he either comes in if we're like 10/2 or whatever, or comes as low down the order as possible.

 

[Burgey]

Assuming this is Dhoni, then, no, not now. He should have been dropped a while back and Pant groomed. Right now, I don't trust Pant's keeping that much. Dhoni's is much better. Pant is a better batsman, but he would have been much more reliable (hypothesizing) had he been given a couple of years of international LO experience.

Lol yep. Terrible autocorrect.

 

[Burgey]

Yeah, his complete lack of hitting ability wouldn't be a huge problem if he could just work the ball into gaps and get off strike. Him hogging the strike for 4 full overs and only scoring 3 off them contributed to Kohli's wicket against Afghanistan. It'd be less bad if he would just score 5(6) and bugger off instead.

Rotating the strike is something I remember him doing really well. It seems a weird ability to have lost, I mean a lot of blokes whose ability to dominate bowling begins to wane use that exact skill to stay in the game.

 

[ankitj]

https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/_/id/27002146/tendulkar-unhappy-dhoni-lack-positive-intent