***Official*** Sri Lanka in India

[Pratters]

Yes.

It has been a special year for wicket keeper batsmen in ODI's. With six centuries it is already the most prolific year for the men behind the stumps when performing in front of them.

Dhoni with two hundreds has become the second regular wicket keeper after Gilchrist and Stewart to score two odi centuries in one calendar year. I am not counting Dravid here who too has done it. (Gilchrist has done it for the 4th time including 3 centuries in 1998)

This is further evidence of the relevency of Keepers who can or would have to bat. The role of specialist keepers specially in one day cricket has been more insignificant than it has ever been.

 

[Pratters]

And when was the last time India were 0-3 @ home ??

imagine being the key word in my post.

 

[Sanz]

No pressure in an international cricket match featuring India and Sri Lanka at the back drop of the Ganguly-Chappell controversy?

Ganguly - Chappell Controversy ?? I thought that was over with Gganguly's sacking and in any case it was a stupid public spat between two individuals. SRT was not even remotely invloved, I dont know why was he going to be under pressure.

You are the one who is calling Tendulkar a selfish player, a choker, a person who cannot handle pressure and still calling him great.

Selfish he has been in recent times - few eamples..1. he whined after missing his double century 2. He went on to play a series in Bangladesh for scoring cheap and easy runs and risking his injury. 3. Sydney test...

as for him being great..he is gret, because he can bat..when there isn't much pressure..

So I think its very clear who is being silly (I wouldnt say funny) and creating flame in the forum.

Or may be you have a problem with people having a different opinion . In your world ..everyone must and MUST agree with you., right ?? Let me guess I need to Chant 'Tendulkar is god' everytime he chokes.

 

[Pratters]

Or may be you have a problem with people having a different opinion . In your world ..everyone must and MUST agree with you., right ?? Let me guess I need to Chant 'Tendulkar is god' everytime he chokes.

 

[Sanz]

imagine being the key word in my post.

And why would I imagine something which has hardly happened in last 30 years. May be you need to because you need a reason to worship the 'GOD' despite faliing and convince yourself.

 

[Sanz]

That is the biggest pile of horse manureI have ever heard! Firstly, Dravid was already back in the shed in that game and we were in big trouble, Tendulkar shelved his aggressive play which had got him out in the 3 previous tests and stayed at the crease! Secondly, Ganguly... GANGULY was the one who wanted such a huge total! Not Tendulkar, Ganguly could have declared at any time. He could have declared when India got to 500, got to 600, or even 650. He waited till India got to 700 to ensure India could not lose the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

How is it Tendulkar's fault? Oh should he apologise for scoring a 200+ runs?

Aggressive play ?? I hope you aren't talking about the aggresive play in the 1st 3 tests of that series where he scored a total of 82 runs in 5 innings @ 16.40..obviously ganguly didn't want to lose the test...and he wanted to draw the test and he asked SRT to bore people to death.

Yeah when things dont go our way, it's what the captain wanted..but the moment we win..every idea was suggested by Tendulkar, Pathan's promotion, X wicket, Y catch, this field setting...GEE I guess why he isn't the captain..if he is so good. But let me guess he choked under pressure of captaincy too..TWICE.

As for the declaration...obviously someone had to first score the doble century and then break Sunny Gavaskar's record..or else he would have been 'Dissapointed'.

 

[Jono]

Aggressive play ?? I hope you aren't talking about the aggresive play in the 1st 3 tests of that series where he scored a total of 82 runs in 5 innings @ 16.40..obviously ganguly didn't want to lose the test...and he wanted to draw the test and he asked SRT to bore people to death.

For Christ's sake... seriously.

Aggressive play RESULTED in Sachin's demise earlier in the series. He often went for the booming cover drive and was found edgeing the ball getting caught behind. Happened in Adelaide and Melbourne. In Brisbane he obviously received a stinker from Bucknor, and in the 2nd innings of the Adelaide he left a ball from MacGill which was going on to hit the stumps and given out LBW, and in the 1st innings of Melbourne he unfortunately nicked a ball down legside off his 1st ball.

My point wasn't that he had scored well in the tour, if you actually bothered to try and comprehend it was that he had to shelf his aggressive play.

 

[Pratters]

For Christ's sake... seriously.

....

Clearly you are forgetting the advice you gave me Jono, AGAIN!

 

[Hit4Six]

Selfish he has been in recent times - few eamples..1. he whined after missing his double century 2. He went on to play a series in Bangladesh for scoring cheap and easy runs and risking his injury. 3. Sydney test...

as for him being great..he is gret, because he can bat..when there isn't much pressure..

Or may be you have a problem with people having a different opinion . In your world ..everyone must and MUST agree with you., right ?? Let me guess I need to Chant 'Tendulkar is god' everytime he chokes.

DAY-M woman tendy must have really annoyed u for you 2 dislike him this much oh dear

ur logic behind tendy choking is he cant play under pressure in finals? neither can any of the indian team, were not all michael bevans (hes gone deal with it).

as far as everyone agreeing with him? most ppl do becoz theyre not ignorant and pretensious enough 2 say something as asinine as tendy is selfish a choker etc etc etc. hes not perfect but open ur eyes hes still one of the best ever and if u cant sit back and watch the great man bat...then thats ur choice and ur loss.

 

[Toecrusher]

So Sanz, since you are so keen on using Cricinfo's stats to prove your absurd theory, I'd love to hear your explanation for this...

Tendulkar has a final's average (46.52) higher than his career average (44.67)
http://statserver.cricket.org/guru?...pe=com_compare;csearch=Ricky Ponting;search=1

Ricky Ponting has played only 9 finals less than Tendulkar, yet scored 4 hundreds and 5 fifties less, averaging 4 below his career average
http://statserver.cricket.org/guru?...1;.cgifields=cplayerid;.cgifields=comparetype

Lara's finals average is 40.47, 6 runs below Tendulkar
http://statserver.cricket.org/guru?...1;.cgifields=cplayerid;.cgifields=comparetype

Mark Waugh's finals average is 32.44, six below his career
http://statserver.cricket.org/guru?...1;.cgifields=cplayerid;.cgifields=comparetype

Inzamam has only played 5 finals less than Tendulkar, yet scored 4 hundreds and 3 fifties less, averaging 7 below his career at 32.
http://statserver.cricket.org/guru?...1;.cgifields=cplayerid;.cgifields=comparetype

Kallis averages 5 less in finals
http://statserver.cricket.org/guru?...1;.cgifields=cplayerid;.cgifields=comparetype

So for all the players mentioned above, Tendulkar is the only one who averages above his career average in finals. Wow, what a 'choker'.......

 

[Anil]

But let me guess he choked under pressure of captaincy too..TWICE.

that's obviously why he scored 2054 runs @ 51.35 with 7 100s and 7 50s in 25 matches as captain....we should get more chokers like that....

 

[SJS]

.....hes not perfect but open ur eyes hes still one of the best ever and if u cant sit back and watch the great man bat...then thats ur choice and ur loss.

WORD !

FINAL Word !!!

PS Lets all do the same, shall we pleeeease. Sit back and watch the great man bat and let those who chose not to (I doubt it though) enjoy their freedom to do do.

 

[Toecrusher]

And if the doubters still aren't convinced by my post above..........

Sachin Tendulkar Test Match average in the 4th innings (the innings with the most pressure) is 34.88, with 2 fifities and 2 hundreds. On the surface, it doesn't look too good, but......

....when you look at the figures of that legendary cricketer, you know the one who you will want to 'bat for your life', the guy who is regarded as having the toughest mind around and can handle the pressure the best....do you know what you get?

Steve Waugh, 4th innings, 0 hundreds, 2 fifties, all at the astoundingly non-choker average of 25.

http://stats.cricinfo.com/guru?sdb=...1;.cgifields=cplayerid;.cgifields=comparetype

 

[SJS]

Changing the topic ........

Anyone wants to offer odds for tomorrow's game ?

 

[Sanz]

So Sanz, since you are so keen on using Cricinfo's stats to prove your absurd theory, I'd love to hear your explanation for this...

Incase you have missed - I have said post 2000/2001 SRT has been a choker. SRT was phenomenal in pre-2000 days. Now please go ahead and -re-check the stats.

http://statserver.cricket.org/guru?...edhigh=;csearch=;submit=1;.cgifields=viewtype

And I dont know why you are bringing Ponting, Inzi and others here..all of us know that Ponting scored a century in the WC finals where SRT choked. Inzi was instrmental even as a teenager in helping his country win the world cup. Post 2000 Ponting has been averaging 45 in the finals

 

[Sanz]

And if the doubters still aren't convinced by my post above..........

Sachin Tendulkar Test Match average in the 4th innings (the innings with the most pressure) is 34.88, with 2 fifities and 2 hundreds. On the surface, it doesn't look too good, but......

....when you look at the figures of that legendary cricketer, you know the one who you will want to 'bat for your life', the guy who is regarded as having the toughest mind around and can handle the pressure the best....do you know what you get?

Steve Waugh, 4th innings, 0 hundreds, 2 fifties, all at the astoundingly non-choker average of 25.

http://stats.cricinfo.com/guru?sdb=...1;.cgifields=cplayerid;.cgifields=comparetype

Your logic is baffeling..just because a player X failed in fourth innings means player Y is automatically not a choker ? And no 4th innings isn't really a pressure game when you are playing for australia because Australia won most of the test matches in since mid 90s...a time when SRW flourished as a batsman.

 

[Sanz]

that's obviously why he scored 2054 runs @ 51.35 with 7 100s and 7 50s in 25 matches as captain....we should get more chokers like that....

Obviously 51.35 is greater than 58.97 (his avg. when he wasn't the captain) .

Anyways - if he was so successful as captain and if it wasn't affecting his batting then why did he quit it, twice ?

 

[SJS]

Looking beyond the easy wins and the 3-0 lead !!

Its not all hunky dory for India as may appear at first sight. There are issues that need to be tackled. A look at them.

1. 180 runs in 20 overs - recipe for disaster ?
The other day Sri Lanka reached the 30th over with just 120 runs on the board a miserly 4 runs an over. They then proceded to hit another 178 runs in 20 overs.. This was a sustained onslaught far more devastating than India with Tendulkar and Pathan, Sehwag and Dhoni or Tendulkar and Sehwag managed for such a sustained period of time. If Sri Lanka were to get off to a flier as they do have the wherewithal to do, where are our bowlers going to look ?

India seem to have no clue still as to how to bowl in the slog overs to rampaging batsmen. Every team seems to have one tail ender who eats Indian bowlers for breakfast. Sri Lanka seems to have Mahroof for this job.

2. When is the "obvious talent" of Yuvraj going to make an appearance ?
Yuvraj scored 50 in Sri Lanka in July 2004. Since then he has scored (against NON-MINNOWS)
8, 13, 4, 24, 9, 0, 78, 16, 15, 1, 35no, 13, 18, 12, 42, 1, 22, 20, 14 and 18.

WOW !!

What a talented player. An average of 19.1 and we use him and others to keep out (rightly sure) someone like Laxman because of his fielding ?? Is that it. If Laxman can be kept out of the side because he cant field brilliantly cant we say something about keeping out batsmen who cant bat except on paper ?

What dio you say, he score faster than Laxman ? Want to face the facts. Against these non- minnows, Yuvraj has a strike rate, over this period of 75 runs per 100 balls. Want to know Laxman's - 80 PLUS which incidentally is one of the best in the Indian team during the last two years barring Sehwag and maybe Sachin amongst the top order.

But this is not about Laxman. This is about the problems that india still needs to resolve.

Yes sir, number five in the order is surely a problem for the Indian team. We may need his runs one of these days you know !!

....to be continued.

 

[Toecrusher]

And I dont know why you are bringing Ponting, Inzi and others here..all of us know that Ponting scored a century in the WC finals where SRT choked. Inzi was instrmental even as a teenager in helping his country win the world cup. Post 2000 Ponting has been averaging 45 in the finals

The reason I am bringing Ponting, Inzy, Lara etc. into the discussion is to prove that ALL batsman are chokers if you apply the strict definition of the term. Finals and 4th innings add a lot of pressure that ALL batsman are affected by to a certain degree, but Tendulkar is not affected to any greater extent than anyone else. The only reason is that Tendulkar stands out as being a worse choker than them is because expectations on him are so much higher.

For example, if Australia are set a target of 350 in a final and lose, and Ponting gets out for 15, will the average cricket fan on the next day consider his 'choking' as the main reason for the loss. No, they would recognise the loss as a dissapointing collective effort from the team. Now in the same situation, if India is chasing 350 in a final and lose with Sachin getting 15, what will the reaction be? He will be regarded as a 'choker' simply and will be blamed for the team's loss, forgetting that the bowlers conceded 350 in the first place and the other batsmen failed to pick up the slack. Why, because the expectations and demands on him are so much higher than any other cricketer in HISTORY that anything less than a matchwinning innings is considered a failure.

Your logic is baffeling..just because a player X failed in fourth innings means player Y is automatically not a choker ?

No, what am I saying is that how Tendulkar's apparent 'chokes' are a lot more obvious to the average cricket fan, and that other great batsman have similar or worse choking records that are not that well known.

And no 4th innings isn't really a pressure game when you are playing for australia because Australia won most of the test matches in since mid 90s...a time when SRW flourished as a batsman

So Sachin averaging 34 in pressure 4th innings is worse than Steve Waugh averaging 25 in a no pressure 4th innings? I fail to see your point here.....

 

[Toecrusher]

Obviously 51.35 is greater than 58.97 (his avg. when he wasn't the captain) .

Anyways - if he was so successful as captain and if it wasn't affecting his batting then why did he quit it, twice ?

Success as a batsman while being a captain is different from success as a captain. He was successful when it comes to the former, but appalling when it came to the latter.

He quit twice because he was a useless captain. His man-management skills were mediocre, he couldn't handle all the politics that go along with captaining an Indian cricket team, and his tactical ability, albeit with his poor bowling resources, was lacking. Quitting the captaincy had nothing do with his batting performances or being a choker. He just simply was not a good captain. Period.