Dravid to Mahi(Part 2)

Speaking about Dhoni,I am reminded of a guy from a small town of Ranchi who, as in words of a famous commercial "Has Truly Made it Large".

From working in Indian Railways as a ticket checker in Kharagpur(known only for its IIT) to leading the Indian Cricket team to the World cup crown after 27 years, Dhoni has come a long way. Mahi (as Dhoni is fondly called by his friends) is from the tinsel town of Ranchi, capital of Jharkhand. He completed his schooling from the famous DAV, Shymali. Initially, he started as a goalkeeper for his school team but soon switched to cricket on advice of his football coach. Dhoni, first came into reckoning when he performed superbly for India A team on the tour of Kenya way back in 2004. His consistent performance in Ranji and for India A finally earned him a call to play for India. The rest as we say is history. Still I strongly believe, if he were from cricketing states like Mumbai or Gujrat(which rule the roost in BCCI selection), he would have made his debut much before 2004.

Now coming to my point of considering him as my favourite cricketer after Dravid. No doubt, he is no match to Dravid's class but he has a class of his own. His totally unorthodox shots have earned him the reputation . His favourite shot "the helicopter shot" is truly effective aginst the yorker length ball. Even sachin is has used it again and again in  the IPL matches. If Dravid provides calmness in the dressingroom when he come out to bat in the middle, Dhoni, when at his destructive best can destroy any attack in the world. He can clear grounds at will, even against the likes of Steyn and Akthar. Dravid provides solidarity to the middle order and anchors the innings while holding on to one end, Dhoni can accelerate the run-rate at will. This was one of the foremost reason I never liked the decision of dropping Dravid from the ODI format as we always had Dhoni down the order to explode. Hence, we required someone at the top to anchor and build the innings. Having said that, fortunately India has never missed Dravid and remained in the top 3 for the last couple years in the ODI format.

Though Dravid and Dhoni might differ in their approach when it comes to batting but both are super cool customers and rarely vent out their emotions in public.The last time I saw Dhoni  scream with joy was during the IPL2, when he single handedly won the match for CSK against Punjab. When it comes to Dravid, how can one forget that scene of Dravid  jumping like a kid after scoring his century at Lords. Both of them are great cricketers and really humble human beings. When it comes to leadership skills, definately Mahi scores above Dravid. Even the great Sachin has publicly accepted that he is one of the best captains that he has ever played under, which is really a great compliment. Dhoni, as a captain has simply been a class apart. He has several titles against his name i.e couple of IPL crowns,Champions league and the biggest of them all the World Cup.



Dhoni playing a blinder in one of the IPL matches



He has led the Indian team to No.1 spot in all the three formats which truly speaks of his quality and commitment. I am really disappointed when people/critics around bestow his success to plain luck or he is lucky to have great team with him. I am a strong believer in the philosoply "luck favours the brave" and as Dhoni, throughout his career has braved the storm, he deserves all the sucesss. Moreover, you can be lucky once or twice and not every time. I truly admire the commitment he has shown on the cricket field. He has often been critisized for curbing his attacking stincts. People love and admire the old Dhoni who would come down and jst go for his shots. I am happy that he has curbed his attacking stincts for the good, for after the departure of Dravid from the ODIs, we hardly had anyone in the middleorder to anchor or build the innings. This has been provided by Captain Cool. He doesn't have the solid technique that u attribute to the likes of Dravid or Sachin but still he is far more than effective. As he has already stated out quite blatantly that you dnt play for the crowds but play to win. He has always backed his team and even chips were down, he has never lost his cool.

If you blame the captain for the losses , you got to give him credit for the sucess too.

Dhoni simply Rockzz...:):):)

Dravid to Mahi(part 1)

Cricket has been my passion since childhood. It didnt bother whether  India was playing or not ..if it was cricket I had to watch it. This was the foremost reason, I never had cable in my house till I completed 12th. Though I hardly remember when I saw the first match, I would safely assume I started watching cricket on TV from 1989. Honestly,way back then leave aside the cricket word ,I did not know anything about cricket. Like why wld people chase the cricket balls.When India were playing Australia and the bulky David Boon would hit the Indian bowlers to every corner of the ground , I would wonder why were Indians made to run to boundaries every other ball like they had got some punishment. I was really thrilled when Pakistan won the World Cup 92 as it had come back to Asia after 83(when india had won it under Kapil Dev). I believe I became a supreme follower of cricket from 1992 onwards.

Thinking about Indian players or legends as u may call them, Dravid and Kumble always rank top in my list. When you talk of favourites there are a few Md Azhar, Tendulkar,Rick Ponting and Mathew Hayden 

As I have already stated ,for me Dravid and Kumble have always been a class apart. Speaking about Kumble , how can one forget his daredevil act against WI when he came out to bowl even with a broken jaw and took the prized wicket of magnificent Lara. He, truly was Commitment personified

Dravid celebrating his century in Lord's..

Coming to Dravid who is  my favourite cricketer which now lately been replaced by Dhoni(Mahi). He always has been the cornerstone of the Indian Cricket team. Right from making his debut against England wayback in the summers of 1997 till even recently when Indians were thrashed down and square on English soil , Dravid has stamped his authority and declared that he indeed is a legend. He was unfortunate enough to be born in an era where cricket fans were far too obessed with the Master Blaster. Having said that , this doesnt take away his contribution to Indian Cricket. When you search the records , you will find more often than not Dravid has performed exceptionally well overseas, a record which even Tendulkar cant boost off. His tenacity,dedication,concentration and hardwork has truly earned him the enviable tag of "Mr Dependable" Or "The Wall" for he is rock solid in defence . A complete batsman with almost every shot that one could find in the cricket manual. Whenever he comes upon the crease, he brings a certain sense of calmness. Owing to his solid technique, he is  comfortable against a swinging ball or the spinning one.A complete gentlemen, who would rarely show his emotions. I feel it was really a sad day for indian cricket when he gave up the captaincy in all forms of the game. It will still be a puzzle for what made him make such a big decision. Even more appalling was to drop him from the ODI squad owing to fitness issues as Dhoni and selectors wanted a young team. For I never have seen a cricketer more fitter than Dravid. A true team man who even donned the role of a wicketkeeper batsman when the team required him to do so.

Dravid truly has been one of the greatest batsmen that India has ever produced.

Will now move to Mahi(Dhoni) ....continued